Santa Barbara in Santa Barbara County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)

Trades Union Building

Photographed by Andrew Ruppenstein, November 30, 2020

1. Trades Union Building Marker

Inscription. Between 1961 and 2002 the Trades Union Building at 417 Chapala Street served as a headquarters for Santa Barbara building trades unions. The unions' offices were housed in a building designed by the architectural firm of Arendt, Mosher and Grant. Completed in 1961, the two-story office building, designed in a Mid-Century Modernist Style, included a central courtyard, auditorium, offices, and a cafeteria. When completed the Building Trades Center offered various union organizations a centralized meeting place for both business and social functions, including, in addition to regular union meerings, informal gatherings, and women's auxiliary activities. Among the unions headquartered in the building were the Building and Construction, Trades Council, the United Brotherhood of Carpenters Joiners, Local #1062; the Plasterers and Cement Masons; the International Association of Machinists; the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local #413; the United Association of Plumbers and Steamfitters, Local #114; and the Painters District Council, #52. The trades union's association with it was sold

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for redevelopment in 2002.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Labor Unions. A significant historical year for this entry is 1961.

Location. 34° 24.91′ N, 119° 41.766′ W. Marker is in Santa Barbara, California, in Santa Barbara County. It is on Chapala Street south of West Haley Street, on the right when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 417 Chapala Street, Santa Barbara CA 93101, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is on California’s Central Coast,

specifically on the Coast Ranges,

and specifically in the Transverse Ranges.

It is also on the American Pacific Coast.

Globally, it is in North America,

on the Ring of Fire,

in the Pacific Rim,

in the Western Hemisphere,

in the Western World,

and in the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain

and also Mexico’s Alta California.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Hotel Virginia (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); El Capitán Portolá (approx. 0.2 miles

Photographed by Andrew Ruppenstein, November 30, 2020

2. Trades Union Building Marker

away); Moreton Bay Fig Tree (approx. 0.2 miles away); Bridge MP 36729 Santa Barbara Subdivision (approx. 0.2 miles away); Private Railcar Spurs (approx. 0.2 miles away); Santa Barbara Railroad Station (approx. ¼ mile away); Gutierrez Drug Store (approx. ¼ mile away); Pacific Produce Company Doors (approx. 0.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Santa Barbara.

Additional commentary.
1. Job Search
In the 1980s I traveled here from Los Angeles seeking work through the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.

— Submitted June 19, 2023, by Craig Baker of Sylmar, California.

Trades Union Building and Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Andrew Ruppenstein, November 30, 2020

3. Trades Union Building and Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on June 19, 2023. It was originally submitted on December 2, 2020, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California. This page has been viewed 330 times since then and 13 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on December 2, 2020, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California.