French Second Empire Homes in Santa Barbara? Mais Oui!

The Second Empire style of home was inspired by architecture that was popular in Paris during the French Second Empire, from 1852–1870. It was popular in the United States from 1860 through 1880 for homes and commercial and government buildings, but it was most popular in the eastern and midwestern states. There are far fewer examples here in the West. But we have some interesting ones here in Santa Barbara.

The overall styling and massing of the homes are similar to Italianate homes, which I covered in my column last June. The defining element of Second Empire homes, however, is the mansard roof. The French architect François Mansart from an earlier era (1598-1666), had used this style so frequently that his name became associated with it.

A mansard roof has two parts: the lower part of the roof has a steeper slope than the upper part. This provides more usable space in the attic. There is a story that this style of roof was developed in Paris when buildings were taxed by the number of stories below the cornice (roofline), and that a mansard roof allowed more space without adding an extra floor.

There are usually dormer windows in the lower slope of a mansard roof. Here’s another French connection — dormer windows get their name from the French verb dormir which means “to sleep,” since dormer windows are generally found in bedrooms.

Uncommon in Santa Barbara

We only have a few Second Empire homes in Santa Barbara, but they provide a nice range of the types of homes in this style — from simple to high end. Most people here are familiar with the Stella Mare restaurant at 50 Los Patos Way. This is an example of the basic end of the range. This home was built about 1872 by a ship captain and was moved from its original location at 812 De la Vina Street. Obviously, although it is simple in style, it was considered worth moving and survived the removal process. 

Another example of the style is at 15 East Valerio Street. This home, built about 1883, is a tad more upscale because of the bay window in front. But it also has a cube-like shape, like the one on Los Patos.

There are a couple of homes of this style that are more upmarket. Both are around the corner from each other. One is at 302 West Micheltorena, and the other at 309 West Arrellaga. I wrote about this house in my first Great House Detective column way back when in 2020. Both homes date from the 1870s.

But the crème de la crème, the pièce de résistance of the French Second Empire homes in Santa Barbara is no longer here. It was the ornate Oreña mansion at 1900 Laguna Street — now the site of the Roosevelt Elementary School. C’est la vie!

Please do not disturb the residents of these homes.

Betsy J. Green is a Santa Barbara historian and author of Discovering the History of Your House and Your Neighborhood, Santa Monica Press, 2002. Her website is betsyjgreen.com.