Descriptive Summary
Access
Publication Rights
Preferred Citation
Acquisition Information
Biography/Administrative History
Scope and Content of Collection
Indexing Terms
Additional collection guides
Descriptive Summary
Title: Pearl Chase Papers
Dates: 1833-1982 (bulk 1925-1976)
Collection Number: MS-01
Creator/Collector:
Chase, Pearl
Extent: 10 linear feet (26 boxes)
Repository:
Santa Barbara Trust for Historic Preservation. Presidio Research Center
Santa Barbara, California 93101
Abstract: Correspondence, documents, and photographs of preservationist and community activist Pearl Chase.
Language of Material: English
Access
Collection is open for research. Contact the Archivist-Librarian to access the collection.
Publication Rights
All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Archivist-Librarian.
Permission for publication is given on behalf of the Santa Barbara Trust for Historic Preservation Research Center as the
owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be
obtained by the reader.
Preferred Citation
Pearl Chase Papers. Santa Barbara Trust for Historic Preservation. Presidio Research Center
Acquisition Information
Estate of Pearl Chase.
Biography/Administrative History
Pearl Chase (1888-1979) was a prominent Santa Barbara citizen and a tireless community activist. Emphasizing the preservation
of Santa Barbara’s natural beauty and the promotion of public health and general welfare, Miss Chase devoted her energy to
shaping Santa Barbara’s architectural style to reflect its Spanish colonial past. Ms. Chase spearheaded the work of historic
preservation that restored the Santa Barbara Presidio and many of Santa Barbara’s original adobes, and helped create the distinctive
look of El Pueblo Viejo, Santa Barbara’s core historic district. She was lauded at the state and local level on many occasions
and won the National Award for Historic Preservation in 1973.
Scope and Content of Collection
The Pearl Chase Collection includes documents, correspondence, and photographs relating primarily to her activities with El
Cuartel, El Presidio, the Santa Barbara Trust for Historic Preservation, historic preservation in Santa Barbara County, and
includes a collection of her personal notes and papers relating to her broader philanthropic work.
The collection is divided into the following series:
1. El Cuartel- Press releases, purchasing information, staffing, exhibit and curatorial information, physical condition and
restoration, and El Cuartel Committee meeting minutes.
2. Santa Barbara Trust and Presidio Park--SBTHP documents regarding legal issues, finances, dealings with state and local
government entities, historic preservation state and national legislation, and related Trust correspondence from 1950-1982.
3. Santa Barbara Historic Survey--Site questionnaires, legislation, and Landmarks Committee documents.
4. Architectural Advisory Committee--Correspondence from the years 1925 to 1927.
5. Historic Preservation- Press clippings, historical essays, legislative documents, various committee meeting minutes and
correspondence, materials relating to broader move supporting historic preservation in California and the U.S.
6. Santa Barbara Presidio--Documents and correspondence relating to the restoration and rebuilding of El Presidio, including
planning and execution stages.
7. Pearl Chase-Correspondence and Personal--Personal correspondence, records, receipts, and reprints of articles.
8. Adobes--Background information, maps, correspondence, and related information on historic adobes in Santa Barbara County.
9. Santa Barbara Trust for Historic Preservation (SBTHP)--President’s reports, meetings from monthly and annual meetings,
articles of incorporation and by laws, correspondence, logos, maps, deeds, ephemera, membership lists, and financial and treasurer’s
reports.
10. Miscellaneous
11. Scrapbooks and Binders
12. Lantern Slides—-26 boxes (660 items) of black and white and colored lantern slides, 3 x 4 inches, of various locations
taken from around 1914 to the mid 1920s. Subjects include: Boston, New York state, Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut,
Washington DC, Oregon, and California. Many views of Santa Barbara include the 1925 earthquake, the harbor area, downtown,
and individual houses. A large number of images are of Yosemite National Park.
Indexing Terms
Historic buildings--California--Conservation and restoration.
Historic preservation--California--Santa Barbara County.
Adobe houses--California.
Hoffmann, Bernhard
Santa Barbara Trust for Historic Preservation
Santa Barbara Presidio
Photographs
Correspondence
Lantern slides
Additional collection guides