It’s always a good sign when the person who creates a subdivision decides to live there himself. Likewise, it’s a plus when a builder constructs a home and settles in it with his family. Both are true for the home at 3226 Calle Pinon. The home is located in the Rutherford subdivision in east San Roque, which was created by Stephen Rutherford, a Scottish immigrant who became a successful rancher in Goleta. In 1917, he bought this area measuring 125 acres and created a circular park in the middle with numerous streets radiating out in all directions.
A Possible Fairground?
The land here is relatively level and was used for agriculture until the early 1920s. As the city’s population expanded and more families had cars, people began to look beyond the city center for home sites and parks. Although, this area was almost used for something else. In 1921, a group of businessmen seriously considered using part of this property as a fairground. (The present Earl Warren Showgrounds did not come into being until decades later.)
The area was originally part of the Dixie W. Thompson Ranch. In 1926, the local paper wrote, “Twelve months ago it was a bean field, and had been a place for bean and hay growing since early times…. An old-timer, Stephen Rutherford, is backing his faith in Santa Barbara by making home building possible on the Rutherford tract” (Santa Barbara News-Press, February 27, 1926).
Rutherford built a comfortable home here for his family on Calle Palo Colorado in 1924 for $8,000, and planted a sequoia tree in the yard that still stands. A few blocks away, popular builder Fred Malcolm Reid built his own home at 3226 Calle Pinon in 1930 for $5,000.
Many of the streets in this subdivision have Spanish names, which have always been popular in our city, but one street name here stands out: Argonne Circle. This was named by Rutherford to honor the memory of his son who was killed in World War I in the Battle of the Argonne Forest in France.
Tudor Revival Style
The architectural style popular in this subdivision also stands out. Many homes built in Santa Barbara after the big earthquake in 1925 are Spanish Colonial Revival style. However, perhaps because of Rutherford’s Scottish background, there are quite a few homes here built in the Tudor Revival style. Some of the key characteristics of Tudor Revival homes include white stucco walls accented by dark wood trim, a steep-pitched gable roof, an arched front door or doorway, and sometimes a prominent chimney on the front façade. In fact, Tudor Revival homes are generally the only style of home where the chimney may be found on the front of the house.
These homes can be modest cottage-sized homes or very grandiose, such as the Glendessary mansion in Mission Canyon. The home at 3226 Calle Pinon is one of the larger Tudor Revival style homes in this subdivision.
Hidden Treasures
Some of the most interesting features of old homes are vintage photos of the home or treasures hidden in the walls. This home has both. My research discovered a photo of the home’s living room from 1954, when the Webb family lived there. Then, when I visited the home and talked with Ellen and John Hunter, the home’s owners, they proudly showed me a large box of items they found during their renovation — some shoes, old magazines, a doll, and a pickle jar from the 1930s. Treasures indeed!
Please do not disturb the residents of this home.
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.
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