Santa Barbara Earthquake Centennial

Events Calendar

Event submissions can be sent to Dennis Doordan at: dennis.doordan.1@nd.edu

APRIL 25, 2025

THE SPEAKEASY SOIRÉE

The season of activities begins with the Roaring 20s Speakeasy Soirée at the Historic El Paseo Restaurant. Proceeds benefit community programming. To purchase tickets, click here.

Beginning May 4, 2025
Every Sunday 10 am

Architectural Foundation of Santa Barbara Walking Tour

Domingo Walking Tours

Step back in time and experience the architecture of downtown Santa Barbara as it was reborn after the 1925 earthquake.  Stroll through historic paseos and along State Street as we discover the Spanish Colonial Revival buildings that emerged in its wake. Experience public art, hidden courtyards, histories of the Arlington and Granada theaters and other architectural delights.  Whether you’re a history buff or an architecture lover, this tour offers a fascinating glimpse into the city’s resilience and beauty.  Reserve your spot today!  Reservations

Tour begins at Downtown Public Library courtyard – 40 E Anapamu St. Santa Barbara, CA 93101.  $20/person donation.

Every Sunday at 10:00 am, beginning May 4, 2025

May 6, 2025

Lecture: Women architects shaping santa barbara after the 1925 earthquake

The 1925 earthquake was a pivotal moment in Santa Barbara’s architectural history, occurring just as a few pioneering women were breaking barriers in the field of architecture. Their visionary designs helped define the city’s distinctive aesthetic, leaving a lasting legacy in Spanish Colonial Revival, Modern, and other iconic styles.

Join us for an enlightening lecture exploring the remarkable women who shaped Santa Barbara’s built environment: Presented by,  Nicole Hernandez, Architectural Historian for the City of Santa Barbara.

• Julia Morgan & Margaret Baylor – Gymnasium & Beaux Arts with Spanish Colonial Revival style Inn Design
• Mary M. Craig – Spanish Colonial Revival Influence
• Lutah Maria Riggs – Spanish & Modern Innovations
• Anna Louise Murphy Vhay – Spanish Colonial Revival influence
• Harriet Moody – Planner and designer of English Cottage

MAY 21, 2025

1925: Santa Barbara Remembers the Earthquake

Join us for our opening with an optional talk by Neal Graffy

Location:  Santa Barbara Historical Museum
136 E De La Guerra St, Santa Barbara, CA 93101
5-7:00 PM     EXHIBITION OPENING
6-6:30 PM     COMPLIMENTARY TALK BY NEAL GRAFFY (OUTDOORS)

Boom! At dawn on June 29, 1925, our city shook with a 6.3 earthquake leaving much of downtown destroyed or heavily damaged.  The twin towers of Mission Santa Barbara collapsed, and eighty-five percent of the commercial buildings downtown were destroyed or badly damaged. A failed dam in the foothills released forty-five million gallons of water, and a gas company engineer became a hero when he shut off the city’s gas supply and prevented fires like those that destroyed San Francisco twenty years earlier.

Out of the rubble would come a new Santa Barbara with the headline, “Spanish Architecture to Rise from Ruins.”

The exhibition is being held in conjunction with EQ2025: A City Transformed.

Tickets for this event are free.  RSVP to:
reception@sbhistorical.org

MAY 21 – JULY 6, 2025

1925 Earthquake Exhibit

The Santa Barbara Historical Museum will be hosting an exhibition about the 1925 earthquake. They’ll feature historic images from their Gledhill Library and related earthquake artifacts.

136 E De La Guerra St, Santa Barbara, CA 93101

MAY 31 – AUGUST 9, 2025

Art Gallery of the Architectural Foundation of Santa Barbara

Art is a way to confront what scares and scars us. Local artist Marcia Rickard creates a body of work that addresses the human tragedy caused by the physical destruction of home, be it Aleppo, Ukraine, Gaza, Los Angeles—or Santa Barbara. The title of this exhibition comes from the Rolling Stones song Gimme Shelter. As the song reminds us, natural disasters—storms, fire, floods—threaten our lives and the structures that shelter us.

Architectural Foundation of Santa Barbara
229 E Victoria St, Santa Barbara, CA 93101

JUNE 1 – JUNE 29, 2025

1925 santa barbara Earthquake: stories & lives remembered exhibit

JUNE 1, 2025

PRESENTATIONS: BETSY GREEN & JEN LEMBERGER

Santa Barbara Public Library – Join us for two short presentations by Betsy Green and Jen Lemberger on Sunday, June 1, 2:00 – 3:30 PM in the Faulkner Gallery. Betsy Green will dive into the history of a tumultuous year, and the devastating earthquake that occurred on June 29th, and the resilience that followed. Jen Lemberger will follow to discuss how librarians quickly set up a temporary library after the earthquake and later, how SBPL staff responded during the Thomas Fire and debris flow.

40 E. Anapamu St. Santa Barbara CA 93101

JUNE 1 – 30, 2025

Lobby Display at the Santa Barbara Public Library

Santa Barbara Public Library – EQ25 will display materials – press clippings, photographs and ephemera –  produced following the 1925 Santa Barbara earthquake and during the period of reconstruction and transformation of the city.

40 E. Anapamu St. Santa Barbara CA 93101

JUNE 5, 2025

Architectural Foundation of Santa Barbara Lecture Series

Pearl Chase: The Woman Who Helped Shape Our City, Part One
By Cheri Rae

Thursday, June 5, 2025 at 6:00 pm
Architectural Foundation of Santa Barbara Gallery,
229 E. Victoria Street Santa Barbara, CA 93101
Tickets

The author of A String of Pearls: Pearl Chase of Santa Barbara will join us for two special presentations that will offer insights about how this iconic figure helped shape the City of Santa Barbara before and after the 1925 Earthquake.

Part I: From her upbringing in Boston to her experiences in the San Francisco Earthquake to the establishment of the Community Arts Association. Within the CAA, a Plans and Planting Committee was created which campaigned to increase public awareness and appreciation for architectural quality and integrity. Plans and Planting was a major force behind the movement to design buildings in the Spanish Colonial Revival style and give Santa Barbara a unified architectural look.

Historic photos, anecdotes, and Pearl’s own words will add to your understanding of the leadership role of this extraordinary woman in the creation of the myths and magic of Santa Barbara that continues to this day.

JUNE 12, 2025

Architectural Foundation of Santa Barbara Lecture Series

Pearl Chase: The Woman Who Helped Shape Our City, Part Two
By Cheri Rae

Thursday, June 12, 2025 at 6:00 pm
Architectural Foundation of Santa Barbara Gallery,
229 E. Victoria Street Santa Barbara, CA 93101
Tickets

The author of A String of Pearls: Pearl Chase of Santa Barbara will join us for two special presentations that will offer insights about how this iconic figure helped shape the City of Santa Barbara before and after the 1925 Earthquake.

Part II: How Pearl worked with Bernhard Hoffmann immediately after the Earthquake and carried on his work through the Plans and Planting organization after he left Santa Barbara.

Historic photos, anecdotes, and Pearl’s own words will add to your understanding of the leadership role of this extraordinary woman in the creation of the myths and magic of Santa Barbara that continues to this day.

JUNE 19, 2025

Architectural Foundation of Santa Barbara Lecture Series

Why Buildings Fell: The 1925 Santa Barbara Earthquake
By Sage Shingle and Jasper Jacobs

Thursday, June 19, 2025 at 6:00 pm
Architectural Foundation of Santa Barbara Gallery,
229 E. Victoria Street Santa Barbara, CA 93101
Tickets

Join us for an eye-opening lecture on why buildings fell during the 1925 Santa Barbara earthquake.  Using simple, everyday language, and historic photographs local structural engineers, Sage Shingle S.E. and Jasper Jacobs S.E. of T&S Structural Engineers, will evaluate the key reasons why many downtown structures collapsed—and what lessons we’ve learned since.

Whether you’re a history buff or just curious about earthquake safety, this talk will give you valuable insights into how buildings stand (or fall) when the ground shakes.  Don’t miss this fascinating look at Santa Barbara’s past and how it shaped the city we know today.

June 23 – June 27 , 2025

Santa Barbara Earthquake Centennial Evening Walking Tours

The Architectural Foundation of Santa Barbara will be conducting the popular Domingo walking tour every evening beginning at 6:00pm.  Step back in time and experience the architecture of downtown Santa Barbara as it was reborn after the 1925 earthquake.  Stroll through historic paseos and along State Street as we discover the Spanish Colonial Revival buildings that emerged in its wake.  Experience public art, hidden courtyards, histories of the Arlington and Granada theaters and other architectural delights.  Whether you’re a history buff or an architecture lover, this tour offers a fascinating glimpse into the city’s resilience and beauty.  Reserve your spot today!  Reservations

Tour begins at Downtown Public Library courtyard – 40 E Anapamu St. Santa Barbara, CA 93101.  $20/person donation.

Every evening – Monday, June 23 through Friday, June 27 at 6:00 pm.

JUNE 26, 2025

Architectural Foundation of Santa Barbara Lecture Series

The Earthquake Survivors Speak
By Betsy Green

Thursday, June 26, 2025 at 6:00 pm
Architectural Foundation of Santa Barbara Gallery,
229 E. Victoria Street Santa Barbara, CA 93101
Tickets

The earthquake that hit Santa Barbara on the morning of June 29, 1925 killed 11 people.  For those who survived, it was a day they would never forget.  What was it like to be shaken awake at 6:42 in the morning?  People in hotels were thrown out of their beds and staggered down the stairs.  Families in homes stumbled through items that had fallen on the floor and ran outside.  People on the streets and sidewalks dodged the debris raining down.  But although the buildings downtown fell apart, the people pulled together and helped each other.  After a cup of strong coffee and some breakfast provided by volunteers in De la Guerra Plaza or Alameda Park, people began to think about rebuilding Santa Barbara in a style that would be envied by other cities.

Historian and author Betsy J. Green will share some of the stories told by the earthquake survivors and their descendants.  Copies of her latest book, Way Back When: Santa Barbara in 1925, will be available.

JUNE 27, 2025

Kellam de Forest Speaker Series

Pearl Chase Society: Kellam de Forest Speaker Series – Topic: Bernhard and Irene Hoffmann and their role in the pre- and post-earthquake Spanish Colonial Revival Style architecture along with Pearl Chase.

5:30 pm June 27, 2025
Alhecama Theatre
215a E Canon Perdido St, Santa Barbara, CA 93101

JUNE 27, 2025

Lecture at the Santa Barbara Mission Archive-Library

A lecture on the history of earthquakes at California’s various missions.

Santa Barbara Mission Archive Library
2201 Laguna Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93105

JUNE 28 – June 29, 2025

EQ25 Quakefest & Day of Remembrance

EQ25 QuakeFest, June 28th, block festival & commemoration on State Street. Details TBA.
EQ25 Day of Remembrance, June 29th, Memorial events including unveiling of plaque and an event at the Mission.

June 29, 2025

American Institute of Architects, Santa Barbara Chapter Presents 1925 Earthquake Symposium

A 90 minute presentation at the Lobero Theatre
33 E. Canon Perdido St. Santa Barbara 93101

Sunday June 29, 2025 – 5 pm to 8 pm

Past Events

January 31 – February 1, 2025

Chinatown Remembered: A Celebration of Santa Barbara’s Chinatown

On January 31 and February 1, 2025, the historic El Presidio grounds transformed into a breathtaking celebration of Santa Barbara’s rich cultural heritage with Chinatown Remembered: A Celebration of Santa Barbara’s Chinatown. This two-night event was a free, family-friendly experience that honored the traditions of the Chinese New Year while shedding light on the vibrant yet overlooked history of Santa Barbara’s Chinatown.