I applaud Peter Walker Hunt for saying the obvious out loud, Franceschi Park under the watch of the City of Santa Barbara does not reflect the community needs or interests. It is obvious that the city has failed to preserve Franceschi House. It still has some time to save the garden.
The “gifted landmark” must be separated from the personal views of Alden Freeman, who transformed the house that Franceschi built, and focus on what remains — a marvelous inner city corridor for plants, animals, and birds to thrive, and wild place for us to preserve. Preservation does not mean neglect. It is absolutely necessary to invest in maintenance to ensure the fire safety of the park.
If the city cannot maintain the garden any better than the destructive neglect they have allowed the house to fall into, it should search out a qualified nonprofit that can do the job and preserve Dr. Franceschi’s vision.
