Way Back When: Historic Adobe Repurposed

(Image of the Covarrubias Adobe courtesy of the Library of Congress)

By Betsy J. Green

A number of the original adobes that had been built here in the Spanish or Mexican era were being adopted by artists in 1919. “Another of Santa Barbara’s historic adobes has been reclaimed to lend itself to the artistic needs of the present day. It is the old Covarrubias home on Santa Barbara Street … whose existence is said to date back considerably over a century.”

The 1817 adobe had recently been turned into a center where “artists and their kin may gather in a congenial atmosphere of informality. Here, groups of artists will meet once or twice a week to sketch from life and to exchange views.” [Spoiler alert – The adobe is still in its original location, and is now part of the Santa Barbara Historical Museum.]