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Santa Barbara’s status as a popular tourist destination attracting thousands of visitors every year is an honor to the residents of the city. Mostly known for its delightful weather, stunning landscapes and particularly for its impressively rich architectural legacy. Santa Barbara’s construction designs do not repeat the similarity of the conventional American architecture because its origins have emerged from the Spanish constructions during the colonization period. Thanks to the city’s impeccable architecture characterized by the touch of ancient days, historic preservation was conceived as an integral element in the city planning process. Santa Barbara was one of the first communities in the United States that further elaborated on the historical footprint observed in the local architectural patterns and styles. Renowned property developer and successful businessman, Kenny Slaught has reflected on the history of Santa Barbara’s architecture by drawing upon the chronology of events that took place in the area. On his blog at KennySlaughtNews.com, the renowned industry executive has shared a brief timeline of milestone happenings in efforts to help expedite curious readers’ search for knowledge on the origins of local architecture.The Spanish Colonial Revival architecture was the United States architectural movement developed in the early 20th century. The movement took the Spanish Colonial architecture for designing some cities that were first Spanish colonies and then they became American cities. A major portion of this architectural style can be found in California. After an earthquake that occurred in 1925, Santa Barbara took over this style as its signature line for re-designing the city. The movement was founded by architect George Washington Smith who moved to Montecito and popularized this movement. The history of El Pueblo Viejo aesthetic control remains to Roman and Parisian laws. It aims to preserve history through the Hispanic architecture. But you may wonder What is the Hispanic Architecture about? This style is greatly influenced by the architecture of the “white-washed cities” of Andalusia in Southern Spain. In Santa Barbara, vernacular buildings techniques are the co-relation born from the response of the natural environment and the locally available materials. Kenny Slaught notes that Hispanic architectural features in this area are in large part characterized by the “simplicity, rustic economy, excellence in craftsmanship and honest expression of material”. Forms founded in Santa Barbara convey vernacular handmade quality oriented to the sunlight. Furthermore, colors are also related with natural environment, yellow, red, orange and white that remains Santa Barbara’s weather.
On the other hand, central Santa Barbara allows curious minds to understand how the architecture at that time was conceived. The design of buildings, and details showing the relation each building had with the historical concept of those times is also helpful when evaluating the Hispanic architecture. A roof design, for instance, has a colonial style that can also be observed in colonial cities such as Cartagena, Mompox or San Juan in Puerto Rico. Santa Barbara has made a lot of efforts to advance its commitment to the architectural preservation. New laws were created to eliminate disrupting effect of new constructions on the harmony of Spanish Colonial Revival architecture. New constructions, especially in El Pueblo Viejo, must follow strict city guidelines and regulations to minimize a potential mismatch with the historic architecture. When in Santa Barbara, Slaught recommends to concentrate on tremendous efforts that the city has made to contribute to the preservation of the unique architecture, even if this does not perform the American style injected in the area as a result of the British presence in the area that considerably influenced the way how local architecture has emerged.
Founder of Investec Real Estate Companies, Kenny Slaught has been in the industry for more than four decades. A dedicated investment strategist, he manages more than 3 million square feet of property throughout California. With total transactions valued above $1.2 billion, Investec has grown to become one of Santa Barbara’s leading real estate firms. An avid philanthropist, Mr. Slaught is involved with many non-profit and community organizations, including Hospice of Santa Barbara, the Music Academy of the West. Contributing to the benefit of youth in the area, he dedicates considerable time to these and other worthy causes.
Kenny Slaught - Founder & President of Investec Real Estate: http://kennyslaughtnews.com
Kenny Slaught - President of Investec Real Estate Companies: http://investecre.net
Kenny Slaught - Investec Real Estate Companies: http://investecre.biz
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Organization: KennySlaughtNews.com
Website: http://www.kennyslaughtnews.com
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