Hope, Thomas, House
About this property
Thomas Hope House is a historic ranch home located in Santa Barbara, California. Constructed in 1875, the home had several owners before being renovated in 1968. The home was designated as a Santa Barbara County historic landmark in 1969 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. Around 1850, Thomas Hope moved to Santa Barbara with his wife to raise sheep and cattle. Hope's business was successful and he quickly became one of the wealthiest men in the Santa Barbara area. In 1875, Hope elected to build a ranch home and dedicated $10,000 to the project. Hope enlisted famed local architect Peter Barber to design the home. Barber had previously designed a number of Victorian style buildings in the area. Hope died from stomach cancer in 1876, shortly after the home was completed. His wife and children continued to live in the home until 1888, at which point it was sold to the Pacific Improvement Company, which was an arm of the Southern Pacific Railroad. In 1919, the Railroad sold the home to Maurice Heckser. Heckser, in turn, sold the home to Harold S. Chase in 1924–25, a developer who was responsible for the creation of the Hope Ranch community. The home was then used as the headquarters for the Hope Ranch Park. In 1967, the home was sold to E. George and Vivian Obern. The Oberns found the home in a state of disrepair, with the local government threatening to demolish it if repairs were not made. The Oberns elected to renovate the home rather than demolish it. The renovation began in the Spring of 1968 and resulted in the home receiving a new kitchen, bathrooms, wiring, plumbing, gas lines, and a furnace. The Oberns tried to replace the original fixtures and furnishings with materials salvaged from old homes and found in antique shops to the fullest possible extent. On December 5, 1968, the Oberns asked Santa Barbara County to designate the house as a historic landmark. The Oberns' request was granted on August 4, 1969. The home was added to the National Register of Historic Places on December 1, 1978. The home is considered to be a Victorian redwood house, with a center staircase leading visitors up to four rooms on each side of the house, for a total of nine rooms in the house. The house originally included a functioning coal burning fireplace. National Register of Historic Places listings in Santa Barbara County, California
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Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).
Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Everything a full report reveals about Hope, Thomas, House
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Questions about this property
When was Hope, Thomas, House listed on the National Register?
Hope, Thomas, House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 1, 1978.
What type of historic resource is Hope, Thomas, House?
Hope, Thomas, House is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.
What is the period of significance for Hope, Thomas, House?
The period of significance for Hope, Thomas, House is recorded as the industrial era.
Can I research the history near Hope, Thomas, House?
Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near Hope, Thomas, House will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.
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