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Austin (Warren) papers
PA Mss 80
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Title: Warren Austin papers
Identifier/Call Number: PA Mss 80
Contributing Institution:
UC Santa Barbara Library, Department of Special Research Collections
Language of Material:
English
Physical Description:
20.75 linear feet
(10 document boxes, 1 oversize box, 2 small shoeboxes, 55 films)
Creator:
Austin, Warren, 1911-1999
Date (inclusive): 1939-1999
Abstract: Papers of Warren Austin (1911-1999), owner of the Val Verde Estate in Montecito, California. Austin was a close friend of
Dame Judith Anderson, a patron of the Lobero Theatre (Santa Barbara, California) and a personal physician to the Duke and
Duchess of Windsor.
Physical Location: A portion of the collection is located at the Southern Regional Library Facility (SRLF).
The collection is open for research. A portion of the collection is stored offsite. Advance notice is required for retrieval.
Copyright has not been assigned to the Department of Special Research Collections, UCSB. All requests for permission to publish
or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Head of Special Research Collections. Permission for publication
is given on behalf of the Department of Special Research Collections as the owner of the physical items and is not intended
to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which also must be obtained.
[Identification of Item], Warren Austin papers, PA Mss 80. Department of Special Collections, UC Santa Barbara Library, University
of California, Santa Barbara.
Donated by Nancy Oliva, March 2010.
Dr. Warren R. Austin (1911-1999) was a personal physician to the Duke and Duchess of Windsor while the duke was governor of
the Bahamas during World War II. After the end of the war, Dr. Austin moved to Montecito, California, where he established
his practice in the Montecito Medical Center in 1948, and married Florence Heath Horton Austin (1915-1991) in 1956. In 1956,
Dr. and Mrs. Austin purchased the Val Verde Estate in Montecito from Marjorie Buell. Val Verde, an Italianate mansion designed
by Bertram Goodhue in 1893 for Henry Dater and added to by garden designer Lockwood de Forest for Wright Ludington, is considered
one of the premier original Southern California estates. Dr. and Mrs. Austin expanded the estate from 9 to 17.4 acres. In
addition to his medical career, Dr. Austin was deeply involved in theater and music in Santa Barbara, bringing many performances
to the city as director of Val Verde Productions, including, among others,
The Bernard Shaw Story (1966) starring Bramwell Fletcher,
Dear Liar (1967) starring Sally Goldwater, and
Hamlet (1970). In the course of these activities and as a patron of the arts in Santa Barbara, Dr. Austin struck up important friendships
with Dame Judith Anderson, British Theater administrator Michael Hallifax, and Zoe Caldwell, famed for her performance alongside
Dame Judith Anderson in Medea. Dr. Austin was involved in the Broadway Theatre League of Santa Barbara and a patron of the
Lobero Foundation, where he was instrumental in establishing the Dame Judith Anderson Fund. Dr. Austin was the founder of
the Canoe Island French Camp on Orcas Island, San Juan Islands, at which he served as camp physician.
Much of this collection consists of documents relating to Dr. Austin's activities in drama and music as a patron of the arts
and head of Val Verde Productions in Santa Barbara. Documents include clippings, correspondence, photos, flyers, programs,
drafts of press releases written by Dr. Austin himself, notes, ledgers, and records of fund raising activities.
The rest of the collection comprises papers pertaining to the Val Verde Estate, including a map of the Ludington Tract, financial
documents, photographs, and many documents relating to the Val Verde Trust from the 1990s, as well as records, clippings,
photographs, and correspondence pertaining to Dr. Austin's Canoe Island French Camp.
Personal items include photographs, correspondence, and personal documents of both Warren Austin and Florence Heath Horton
Austin.
Among the photographs are early images of Santa Barbara buildings, including the Lobero Theatre and the Montecito Fire Station,
as well as photographs of Dame Judith Anderson and Zoe Caldwell.
The collection also includes 55 home movie film reels.
The collection has been divided into the following series: 1. Theater and Music, 2. Val Verde Estate, 3. Canoe Island French
Camp, 4. Personal Items, 5. Correspondence, 6. Photographs, 7. Miscellaneous, 8. Oversize, 9. Home Movie Film Reels. Series
1., Theater and Music, has been subdivided by production name.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Clippings (information artifacts)
Correspondence
Film reels
Home movies
Photographs
Programs
Austin, Warren, 1911-1999 -- Archives
Anderson, Judith, 1897-1992
Austin Val Verde (Montecito, Calif.)