Santa Barbara Presidio
National Register of Historic Places

Santa Barbara Presidio

Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara County, California
Listed
November 26, 1973
Type
District
Period
Early Republic
Ref No.
73000455

About this property

El Presidio Real de Santa Bárbara, also known as the Royal Presidio of Santa Barbara, is a former military installation in Santa Barbara, California, United States. The presidio was built by Spain in 1782, with the mission of defending the Second Military District in California. In modern times, the Presidio serves as a significant tourist attraction, museum and an active archaeological site as part of El Presidio de Santa Barbara State Historic Park. The park contains an original adobe structure called El Cuartel, which is the second oldest surviving building in California; only the chapel at Mission San Juan Capistrano, known as "Father Junípero Serra's Church", is older. The Presidio of Santa Barbara has the distinction of being the last military outpost built by Spain in the New World. The Presidio became a California Historical Landmark in 1958 and was listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1973.

Location

Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara County, California
34.42261, -119.69807

Categories

COMMUNITY PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENTHISTORIC - ABORIGINALMILITARYARCHITECTURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

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.

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This page lists Santa Barbara Presidio. A full Aubrey report for an address near it pulls together this listing alongside battlefield records, land patents, and every other historical record within a chosen radius:

Overview
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The Land
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Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back millions of years.
LiDAR Terrain
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Conflict & War
The battles, raids and skirmishes fought near here, across every era of American conflict.
The Civil War
The Civil War on this ground, 1861 to 1865: who held it, and the battles, camps and regiments nearby.
The Soldiers
The men who marched from here in the Civil War, named and traced where the record allows.
Native Heritage
The Native nations who held this land, mapped across time from before European contact to today.
Settlement
Who claimed and held this ground, from Indigenous homelands through the colonial powers to the United States.
The Community
How the town grew, who came, and what kind of place it became, traced through the census record.
Rivers & Rail
The rivers, canals and railroads that connected this place between 1830 and 1911.
Notable People
The people born, buried or genuinely tied to this exact place, with their stories.
Historical Maps
Historic maps of the location layered over how it looks today.
Finds & Access
Museum objects tied to the area, and the laws on searching, collecting and access here.
Literature
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Spotlight
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Points of Interest
The most significant historic sites and landmarks near the location, and why they matter.
Timeline
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Nearby Historic Sites

US Post Office-Santa Barbara Main
Industrial
0.1 mi
El Paseo and Casa de la Guerra
Industrial
0.2 mi
Gonzalez, Rafael, House
Industrial
0.2 mi
Hill-Carrillo Adobe
Industrial
0.2 mi
Santa Barbara County Courthouse
Industrial
0.3 mi

Nearby Battles

Battle of Santa Barbara (California)
1846Mexican-American War
0.1 mi
Battle of Santa Barbara Landing
1846Mexican-American War
0.1 mi
Santa Barbara Channel Violence – Chumash
1350Pre-Columbian
0.1 mi
Chumash Mainland Warfare
1400Pre-Columbian
0.1 mi
Santa Barbara Chumash Mainland Raids
1200Pre-Columbian
0.2 mi

Questions about this property

When was Santa Barbara Presidio listed on the National Register?

Santa Barbara Presidio was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on November 26, 1973.

What type of historic resource is Santa Barbara Presidio?

Santa Barbara Presidio is classified as a district in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Santa Barbara Presidio?

The period of significance for Santa Barbara Presidio is recorded as the early_republic era, specifically around 1782.

Can I research the history near Santa Barbara Presidio?

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