A. Page Brown, AIA, 1895. One of the five Santa Barbara “cottages” known as historic Crocker Row, its combination of old-fashioned graciousness and contemporary livability seems destined for making memories. The big rooms, large hallways, front and back staircases, sliding wood doors, solid construction—all pitch perfect 1895—invite stories. The landscape of mature greenery, shade trees, and pathways that unfold around the two-story home promises time for gardening, dining, and just breathing. These spaces include a generous foyer, two glass-walled sun rooms, a breakfast room with a butler’s pantry, a private upstairs library, and even a finished attic, together creating a sunny, elegant ambiance throughout the 3,940-square-foot dwelling. An extra serving of doors provides plenty of light and ventilation, and even better, these sometimes surprisingly located openings allow choices in path of travel, making life both more efficient… and more fun. Additionally, the tall ceilings on the first floor add extra volume to the already spacious rooms. The style of the aptly named Garden Street house is an eclectic Mission Revival style, seen in the simple, rectangular volume, the low hipped shingle-clad roof, and the front entry with its prominently arched, recessed portico flanked by blocky pilasters. What sets this house apart, however, are the extraordinary embellishments in plaster, hand painted reliefs, wood, and stone indoors and out, and prominence of the seemingly modernist chimney, all of which rendered in a level of craftsmanship that any Fine Homebuilding editor would admire.
