2535 Anacapa Street, Santa Barbara CA 93105

Historic Upper East … Timeless Elegance … Gracious Living

Known as “The Palmer Cottage”, this landmark Upper East home exudes the grace and warmth of its refined Colonial Revival style. Designed by the renowned Santa Barbara architectural firm of Soule, Hastings and Murphy for Mary Palmer in 1929, this home exhibits the aura of a New England cottage with grand Georgian details. Additionally, its design gives a nod to Santa Barbara’s temperate climate and Spanish heritage by situating the home around a central, outdoor courtyard reminiscent of a traditional hacienda.

Built by Alexander MacKellar, a fine craftsman from Glasgow, Scotland, The Palmer Cottage’s stately presence at the top of one of Santa Barbara’s finest streets belies its expansive living quarters and soaring entertaining space.

Entering this home is to be swept back to a time of grand parties in the spacious living room with a majestic fireplace, lofty ceilings, period woodwork and impeccable acoustics. In days gone by, this room was used for live music and entertainment as guests glided from the splendid living room, through the formal entry to the romantic courtyard.

The Palmer Cottage, built in a sweeping circle around the courtyard with French doors opening to the outside in every hallway, boasts five bedrooms, four full baths, a guest powder room and an airy library / study with floor to ceiling book shelves and a rolling library ladder. Every bedroom has its own or adjoining bathroom. Beautiful views of Campinil hills grace the back bedrooms while the formal dining room looks out on Santa Barbara’s mountains. Updated kitchen, butler’s pantry and laundry room round out this historic home with a timeless elegance and functionality for modern living.

The Palmer Cottage was part of the 2001 Pearl Chase Society Tour of Historic Homes and is currently recognized by the City Historic Landmarks Commission on the potential list for designation. Nobel Prize winning author, Sinclair Lewis, took residence here in 1947, sending several letters to his mistress postmarked from the home and extolling the charms of Santa Barbara. This home has also seen varied uses in its over eight decades – from a house of worship when owned by Leo and Frances Sanders, to a commune, to an elderly care facility. The current owners purchased The Palmer Cottage in significant disrepair in 1994 and have worked diligently to restore the house to its original condition – retaining original cabinetry, flooring and woodwork and seeking out period plumbing and lighting fixtures as part of their renovation.

While all of the living space is on a single-level, there is also an extensive downstairs area with a three-car garage facing Constance Avenue, a large utility room, storage closets and a huge bonus room perfect for a workshop, office, playroom or den. All of this is situated on a generous 1/3 acre lot with a private back yard and convenient motor court.

The Palmer Cottage is situated in the heart of Santa Barbara’s coveted Upper East neighborhood which marries gracious, estate-quality homes with the amenities of in-town living. The Santa Barbara Mission, its gorgeous Rose Garden and the Natural History Museum are blocks away, while the restaurants, theatres, museums and shopping of Santa Barbara’s arts, business and entertainment district are minutes from your front door.