Nov 18, 2003 - Mystery of the Hawaiian Tile

Beth S (93101) correctly identified the location of the Hawaiian tile and is the deserving winner of a $10 Peet’s coffee card. While she was the only one who located it at 9 West Figueroa (the side of Tom’s Toy World on the SW corner of State and Figueroa), one subscriber guessed Tienda Ho, a trendy boutique on the west side of State Street just north of Figueroa. Close-but-no-cigar! The tile, however, seems to be shrouded in the mystique of a dark unsolved mystery in Santa Barbara’s past.

You see, while the tile shown here is found within a stone’s throw of Tienda Ho,

The tile at Toy World covers the whole area below the toy filled window. This picture was taken from the sidewalk on Figueroa Street.

it is also found way on the other side of town in a shady passageway on the side of the old Sears Department Store in La Cumbre Plaza. How could this unique and mysterious tile be in two places at once?  It’s like finding the bones of the same type of dinosaur on the other side of the world. Ancient astronauts?  Shifting platonic plates (plates that don’t sleep with each other)?  Or just evidence of a crafty contractor in the long ago who used the same material on different jobs?

The inquisitive staff at edhat.com did some digging, but unfortunately didn’t have much luck finding any bones. The Tom’s Toy World building was originally built in 1927 by Dixon MacQuiddy (of Dixon Street fame). It housed the Santa Barbara Mutual Bank and Loan Association for many years. Over the years there have been many improvements, facades, and other general maintainences.

La Cumbre Plaza was built in 1967 by Ernest W. Hahn.

The tile is displayed in a random pattern on the side of Sears. This picture was taken from the passage way looking  toward La Cumbre Rd.

It was Mr. Hahn’s first regional shopping center. Today, his company operates 53 centers in 18 states. Although we were able to obtain hard copies of important documents, there was no solid evidence that the Toy World building was being remodeled concurrently with the building of La Cumbre Plaza.

The mystery of the tiles lives!  It seemed odd to at least one edhat staff member that La Cumbre Plaza’s recent transformation into a place “reminiscent of a charming Mediterranean village” left all of that Hawaiian tile intact.  Coincidence??? The dedicated staff of edhat.com don’t think so.