Santa Barbara Trust for Historic Preservation

The Chapel at El Presidio de Santa Bárbara State Historic Park. Photo by Michael H. Imwalle.

Founded in 1963, the Santa Barbara Trust for Historic Preservation (SBTHP) stewards the past and present of the Presidio Neighborhood and inspires preservation advocacy throughout the County in order to create a more vibrant community. SBTHP operates El Presidio de Santa Bárbara State Historic Park, Santa Barbara’s 18th-century birthplace, under an agreement with California State Parks. In addition to portions of the Spanish fort, El Presidio SHP includes the Alhecama Theatre (1925) and the campus of the Santa Barbara School of the Arts, and Jimmy’s Oriental Gardens (1947) the last visible connection to Santa Barbara’s Chinatown. The organization also operates Casa de la Guerra, the 1828 adobe home of Presidio Comandante José de la Guerra, and the Santa Inés Mission Mills near Solvang, CA. The organization works to preserve these resources and produces dozens of community and school programs throughout the year to provide access to these special historic places. 

Santa Barbara Trust for Historic Preservation
123 E. Canon Perdido Street
Santa Barbara CA 93101
United States