ROGER DODGER
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2011-06-18 11:09 AM |
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Very good really enjoy your articles and the history of the Funk Zone. There is so much I don't know about Santa Barbara and I've lived here 31 years..
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COMMENT 184322P
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2011-06-18 11:50 AM |
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I'm out of town right now. Can't wait to get back and take your Funk Zone tour.
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COMMENT 184325
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2011-06-18 11:59 AM |
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Great info thanks!
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COMMENT 184345
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2011-06-18 12:50 PM |
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I think your part of the story about how the "funk zone" got it's name is accurate. The zoning in that part of town is limited by the Coastal Act that requires a large swath of the area to be visitor serving and also to supply parking to support those sorts of uses. Economically, that doesn't work out so well and shows a big flaw in the Coastal Act. The upside is that developers who might have built condos throughout the entire neighborhood have largely passed it by and many of the older buildings remain. Nice to see organic, non-cookie cutter life in a neighborhood. The rolling roach coaches used to be called dealers where I come from, and I wonder if they have more for sale than that which is legally available to card holders. In any case, it's not legal or a good thing to be going on.
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POWDRELL
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2011-06-18 01:04 PM |
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Great article on the Funk Zone. Thanks.
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COMMENT 184389
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2011-06-18 06:13 PM |
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I always roll through the Funk Zone without taking a second look but will check it out next time. I always look forward to your posts and what you experience when you walk rather than drive. Well done!
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COMMENT 184404
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2011-06-18 07:12 PM |
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I was so excited to see a picture of the old 'Feed Store' restaurant. It was a big treat to go there as a kid. But I have a memory of it being a wood building. I had trouble trying to assimulate my memory into the photo of a one story stucco building. Weird. Thank you for sharing such an authentic part of our community. Glad to see there's a little bit of it left!
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SBJULES
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2011-06-18 08:31 PM |
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I used to go dancing at the Feed Store.
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EL BARBARENO
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2011-06-19 08:50 AM |
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Wonderful! Well covered and told. Mahoney's place is a treasure. The city really needs to preserve that area. Bit by bit they have been cutting away at the low rent "rustic" parts of our town where people starting a business could afford to get their start. The old Ott's property along Garden, Yanonali and Santa Barbara was such a place and they kicked out the tradesmen and crammed it full of condos. A historical note - the aerial photo is from 1927, not 1919. There was never a wharf spur to Helena Street. That is the framing for a building or decking above the sand.
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FLICKA
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2011-06-19 09:14 AM |
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Great tour! My mom was born in the Zone (1912) at her grandmother's house (she was a mid-wife). Loved the match collection, so many of those places are gone now. Hope the developers don't win their long-running battle to take over that prime beach area. Hikers, you are wonderful to document our town; make a book!
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COMMENT 184467
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2011-06-19 09:54 AM |
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If not the first person, certainly one of the prominent promoters of the term "Funk Zone" was former Executive Director of the SB County Arts Commission, Patrick Davis. He recognized the increasing need to preserve the 'funky' spaces for artists, craftspeople, and the makers of things. Sadly many of the spaces that were in the Funk Zone were razed and many of these people were displaced. (not just for the La Entrada project, but other parcels which are now just empty lots.) The good news is there are new surf shops along side the old ones, a thriving Urban Wine Trail, and new local shops -- a refreshing alternative to the mall-ification of State St.
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STACE
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2011-06-19 11:09 AM |
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Thank you Neil for your input. As always we rely on the real historians amongst us to fact check and make corrections. So glad you are of of our dedicated readers!
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STACE
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2011-06-19 11:22 AM |
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OH SHOOT! Sorry Neal...that was really stupid. Mea culpa, mea culpa!
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COMMENT 184506
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2011-06-19 01:06 PM |
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Oh yes, the Feed Store was a fun restaurant. The highway was religned and broadened. Where was the 101 Club? In the 70s it was the real Fiesta place where locals danced and drank beer together - all races.
We needd the Funk Zone and warehouse type places for our artists and for those who dance to the beat of a different drum. These characters bring vitality and creativity to our city and i hate to havae them lost to SLO.
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EL BARBARENO
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2011-06-19 05:05 PM |
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Stacey - you can spell my name anyway you want as long as you and Peter keep turning out these wonderful columns. I love the interviews with the neighbors and characters you come across, your attention to detail and finding the delightful Santa Barbara oddities that most people would miss. Just think what an amazing window your work will present to historians of the future. Too often we only know the stories of the rich, the powerful and their grand buildings. You capture the true heart of what makes this town a great place to live. Thank you!
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COMMENT 186848
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2011-06-25 08:44 AM |
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very cool! viva la Funk
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COMMENT 190980
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2011-07-09 08:06 AM |
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Wonderful series. After moving to Santa Barbara, we found the only way to truly see SB is to walk the neighborhoods. Your descriptions and insights are so enjoyable. Hopefully this will be a book?
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