Franceschi House in Franceschi Park, Santa Barbara Riviera
Santa Barbara’s Parks and Recreation Department is looking for your feedback! The Parks and Rec Department would like to hear from the Santa Barbara community, neighbors, and park visitors on how they’d like to see the famous Franceschi House reimagined.
Santa Barbara’s Riviera neighborhood is home to Franceschi Park, a beautiful 17-acre park full of picnic areas, walking paths, and stunning views. The park was named after Dr. Francesco Franceschi, a renowned horticulturist who operated a botanical garden and nursery in the area during the early 1900s. Franceschi introduced hundreds of new plant species to California and constructed a home on the property, known today as “Franceschi House”. Philanthropist Alden Freeman later transformed the home into an event venue and gifted the property to the City for use as a public park to honor Dr. Franceschi.
Unfortunately, the condition of Franceschi House has since deteriorated, with restoration efforts being unsuccessful. In 2018, the City Council voted unanimously to replace the house with a brand new open-air structure that would be open to the public.
How would you reimagine Franceschi House? You can let the City know this Saturday at their community workshop. Your feedback will be used to help the Parks and Rec Department develop a design concept that honors the original home and its owners, as well as improve the experience of Franceschi Park visitors as a whole.
The community workshop will be held Saturday, February 10 at 10:00 AM, at the Riviera Ridge School, 2130 Mission Ridge Rd, Santa Barbara, CA 93103. If you can’t make the workshop, you can also share your ideas in this community survey, which is open from Monday, January 29 to Thursday, February 29.
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