Save the old Ellwood Gas Station!
- by: Tom Modugno
- recipient: Goleta city council
Goleta is growing and changing faster than ever before, and the few reminders of our history we have left should be preserved for future generations. The old Ellwood gas station is a beautiful building from the early days of Goleta that sits quietly between the Sandpiper golf course and a brand new housing development. Originally called the Barnsdall-Rio Grande gas station, it is a unique landmark of Goleta's past, and an elegant representation of the Spanish colonial revival architecture that makes Santa Barbara so recognizable. When Pearl Chase began her program of civic improvements in the Santa Barbara area, she wanted to upgrade the plain, boxlike appearance of "filling stations", and the Barnsdall-Rio Grande Company did just that, making the station at Ellwood a showpiece. Completed in 1929, the station won many awards for its excellent appearance and was recognized in architectural publications. The station should be preserved not only for it's architectural significance, but as a monument to the historic Ellwood oil fields and the overwhelming impact of that industry on our area. Every day that passes, this beautiful structure falls further into disrepair and if our city leaders don't act soon, it will be too far gone to save. Please ask the Goleta city council to do what they can to preserve the old Ellwood gas station.
Learn more about the Barnsdall Rio Grande filling station here-
If you live in Goleta, or used to live in Goleta, you've surely driven past this unique structure on the west end of Hollister Avenue and admired the beautiful architecture and tile work that makes it stand out. It's slowly falling deeper into disrepair as new developments sprout up around it. This could be our last chance to save this monument to Goleta's colorful past. If these walls could talk, it would tell tales of a booming oil business, a Japanese submarine attack on our coast, William Randolph Hearst stopping in to gas up his limo on the way to his castle, Jack Nicholson filming a movie and more....
Please help us to motivate the Goleta City Council to do whatever they can to preserve this historic structure before it's knocked down and replaced by more development.
Thanks to all of you for taking the time to sign this petition and Viva Goleta!!
Here's a link to a story about it.
http://www.independent.com/news/2015/jun/12/ty-warner-gives-historic-ellwood-gas-station-golet/
We took the petition to the Goleta city council, and now they will create a Historical Landmark Ordinance. Several folks came to speak and we got some media coverage, so the city knows folks are watching.We continue to try to make contact with the Ty Warner Group. Please send a letter to the Sandpiper Golf Course c/o DJ Limardi. He will forward it to the ownership.We need to keep the pressure on so it doesn't get forgotten again....
Thanks,
Tom
Thanks to all of you for taking the time to sign the petition to preserve the historic Ellwood gas station. I appreciate all of you sharing the links and helping me getting the word out.
It feels like the momentum is slowing a little now, so I think it may be time to wrap it up and take the next step.Hopefully our efforts will not end in vain.
And sorry about any junk mail signing the petition may have created, hopefully it will be worth it.
Tom Modugno
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