News & Events

The Architectural Foundation of Santa Barbara is pleased to announce our June Lecture Series, focused on the 1925 Earthquake that changed Santa Barbara forever. We hope you can join us for one or more lectures, and you’ll save if you purchase all four lectures as a series!

Pearl Chase: The Woman Who Helped Shape Our City, Part One by Cheri Rae

June 5, 2025 at 6:00 pm

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The author of A String of Pearls: Pearl Chase of Santa Barbara will join us for two special presentations that will offer insights about how this iconic figure helped shape the City of Santa Barbara before and after the 1925 Earthquake.

Part I: From her upbringing in Boston to her experiences in the San Francisco Earthquake to the establishment of the Community Arts Association.  Within the CAA, a Plans and Planting Committee was created which campaigned to increase public awareness and appreciation for architectural quality and integrity.  Plans and Planting was a major force behind the movement to design buildings in the Spanish Colonial Revival style and give Santa Barbara a unified architectural look.

 Pearl Chase: The Woman Who Helped Shape Our City, Part Two, by Cheri Rae

June 12, 2025 at 6:00 pm

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Part II: How Pearl worked with Bernhard Hoffmann immediately after the Earthquake and carried on his work through the Plans and Planting organization after he left Santa Barbara.

Historic photos, anecdotes, and Pearl’s own words will add to your understanding of the leadership role of this extraordinary woman in the creation of the myths and magic of Santa Barbara that continues to this day.

Why Buildings Fell: The 1925 Santa Barbara Earthquake, by Sage Shingle, Structural Engineer

June 19, 2025 at 6:00 pm

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Join us for an eye-opening lecture on why buildings fell during the 1925 Santa Barbara earthquake.  Using simple, everyday language, and historic photographs local structural engineers, Sage Shingle S.E. and Jasper Jacobs S.E. of T&S Structural Engineers, will evaluate the key reasons why many downtown structures collapsed—and what lessons we’ve learned since.  Whether you’re a history buff or just curious about earthquake safety, this talk will give you valuable insights into how buildings stand (or fall) when the ground shakes.  Don’t miss this fascinating look at Santa Barbara’s past and how it shaped the city we know today.

The Earthquake Survivors Speak, by Betsy Green

June 26, 2025 at 6:00 pm

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The earthquake that hit Santa Barbara on the morning of June 29, 1925 killed 11 people.  For those who survived, it was a day they would never forget.  What was it like to be shaken awake at 6:42 in the morning?  People in hotels were thrown out of their beds and staggered down the stairs.  Families in homes stumbled through items that had fallen on the floor and ran outside.  People on the streets and sidewalks dodged the debris raining down.  But although the buildings downtown fell apart, the people pulled together and helped each other.  After a cup of strong coffee and some breakfast provided by volunteers in De la Guerra Plaza or Alameda Park, people began to think about rebuilding Santa Barbara in a style that would be envied by other cities.

Historian and author Betsy J. Green will share some of the stories told by the earthquake survivors and their descendants.  Copies of her latest book, Way Back When: Santa Barbara in 1925, will be available.