1500 State St
Designation Status: Designated City Landmark
Assessor Parcel Number: 027-232-008
Historic Name: Trinity Episcopal Church
Constructed: 1912
Property Description:
1500 State St. is a large stone on brick church building in an English Gothic Revival style. The pitched roof of the nave of the church runs perpendicular to Micheltorena St. Buttresses with slanted tops, stepped back once near the top, are on either side of end wall of the nave facing Micheltorena. The entrance is located in a bell tower to one side of the nave. The bell tower has corner buttresses extending almost the height of the tower, stepped back with slanted tops in four levels. The first stage of the tower has a pointed arch opening containing the entrance doors. The next level has two round arched, slit-like windows, one above the other. The third stage of the tower is almost entirely taken up by a triple set of large pointed arch lancet openings with trefoil and qua-trefoil tracery at the top of these openings, and solid infill walls at the bottom of the openings. The tower is crowned by pinnacles at the corners, and balustrade walls of tracery carving.
Architect: Phillip Hubert Frohman & Harold Martin
Architectural Style: Gothic Revival
Property Type: Church
Original Use:
Significance:
City Council designated the building a City Landmark on January 29, 2019. See Staff report for details. Constructed in 1912, Trinity Episcopal was the first Protestant church to be organized in Santa Barbara. It was founded on March 28, 1867, with Rev. Thomas G. Williams presiding. At that time the church was located in a small brick school house on the Lincoln School site. In 1869, a building was constructed at Guiterrez St., near Anacapa St. This was the first Church in Santa Barbara specifically for English-speaking Christians. The present church was constructed in 1912 and remains in use by the congregation. Architecturally this church is of significance due to the fact that it is one of the few stone or Gothic Revival buildings in the City. Its architect Philip Hubert Frohman, later gained national fame as the architect of the Washington Cathedral. See attached staff report for more information.
