Santa Barbara County Courthouse Gardens

The sunken gardens of the Santa Barbara County Courthouse feature lush palms and seasonal flowers, all framed by walls of white stucco and red clay tile roofs. Built in nineteen twenty-nine after a massive earthquake destroyed the previous structure, this Spanish Colonial Revival complex replaced a Victorian courthouse that residents found drab and uninspiring. City planners demanded a cohesive aesthetic for the town, and the architect William Mooser brought in tons of local earth to create this dip in the landscape.