ID
Franceschi Park Aerial View
Title

Reimagining Franceschi House to be Presented to Historic Landmarks Commission

Authored on
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The City of Santa Barbara Parks and Recreation Department will present a conceptual design for Reimagining Franceschi House to the Historic Landmarks Commission (HLC) on Wednesday, August 14, 2024, for Concept Review. This meeting is intended to review the project goals, community engagement, and proposed design with HLC and receive feedback before further design development.

The project results from a unanimous City Council vote in 2018 to replace Franceschi House with an open-air space that will honor the horticultural legacy of botanist Francesco Franceschi and the historical Franceschi House

The design was created based on feedback from two community meetings, held in February and May 2024, and nearly 1,300 responses to two online surveys. The community input was used to develop four concept designs that were ranked through the second community workshop and online survey. The resulting design reflects the community’s highest values for the views, celebrating the site’s horticultural heritage and providing an interpretive experience through landscaping, and the salvage of commemorative features, such as plaques, medallions, and signage. Other project objectives include improving site access and safety, enhancing views, and increasing wildfire resiliency.

The preliminary design features:

  • A raised garden terrace in the footprint of the Franceschi House.
  • Interpretive elements including medallions, signage, plaques, inscribed flooring, and landscaping. 
  • An accessible path of travel throughout the renovated portion of Franceschi Park beginning at new ADA parking spaces.
  • An enhanced view perch with viewing scope.
  • Additional site improvements include new seating areas, retaining walls, and paving. 

Public comments may be submitted online, in person, or in writing. More information about the upcoming meeting can be found at SantaBarbaraCA.gov/HLC. Plans and the agenda will be available on August 8. 

More information about the project can be found at SantaBarbaraCA.gov/Franceschi. General questions or comments can be directed to Project Planner Sean Stewart at SWStewart@SantaBarbaraCA.gov.