Santa Barbara Court House
This magnificent Spanish-Moorish "palace" was built in
1929 and is surrounded by lawns and a sunken tropical garden that plays host to
many functions through out the year. Hardly a Sunday afternoon goes by that a
festival, concert or get together of some sort isn't taking advantage of the
beauty of this setting. The architecture of this building is quite beautiful and
all the details are well thought out. Hand-painted ceilings, wrought iron chandeliers,
giant murals, imported tiles give this relatively new building an ancient feel.
Believe it or not, this building is a fully functional courthouse where lawyers
and judges actually handle judicial business! Of course, no trip to the courthouse
would be complete without an ascent to the tower, which offers 360° views of the city,
mountains, ocean and on a clear day the islands. You will probably recognize the
famous arches from numerous television and print shots. The tower closes early,
however, so make sure to get there by 3:30 or 4 p.m. at the latest.
photo by Cara Moore.