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Santa Barbara Presidio
(U.S. National Register of Historic Places)
A view of the restored portion of the Presidio in 2005
Location:	Santa Barbara, California
Coordinates:	34°25′21.24″N, 119°41′49.56″W
Built/Founded:	April 21, 1782
Architectural style(s):	California mission
Added to NRHP:	November 26, 1973
NRHP Reference#:	73000455
Governing body:	Santa Barbara Trust for Historic Preservation

The El Presidio Real de Santa Bárbara, also known as the Royal Presidio of Santa Barbara, was a military installation in Santa Barbara, California. It was built by Spain in 1782, with the mission of defending the Second Military District in California. In modern times, the Presidio serves as a significant tourist attraction and an active archaeological site.^[1] It is the second oldest surviving building in California;^[2] only the chapel at Mission San Juan Capistrano, known as "Father Serra's Church", is older. The Presidio of Santa Barbara has the distinction of being the last military outpost built by Spain in the New World.^[3] The Presidio was listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1973.

The Presidio is located in downtown Santa Barbara,^[4] roughly two blocks from the City Hall and De La Guerra Plaza. It is across the street from the main Post Office of the city.

A small portion of the original Presidio survives to the present day, and has been restored. Although most of the original structure is gone, traces of the original layout can be seen in aerial photography, since the original street grid is twisted several degrees from the modern street grid. The only parts of the large quadrangle to be restored are parts of the guard quarters, as well as the Cañedo Adobe, which became the property of a former Presidio soldier after the facility was decommissioned.^[5][6] The chapel in the Presidio, one of the restored buildings, was the primary place of worship for the residents of early Santa Barbara. This is because the mission, located a mile and a half away, was mainly intended for use by the native Chumash Native Americans after their conversion to Christianity.^[5]

The site of the Presidio was chosen by Felipe de Neve, the first governor of the Californias. Perceiving that the coast at Santa Barbara was vulnerable to attack, he located a spot near a harbor which was sheltered from severe storms. In addition, there was an ample supply of both building materials and water nearby.^[4] Construction began on April 21, 1782, and Padre Junípero Serra blessed the site.^[4] By the next year, a temporary facility had been completed, and a wheat field planted by the Chumash Indians of Chief Yanonalit. The early Presidio consisted of mud and brush walls around a quadrangle 330 feet on a side.^[7]

The first comandante, José Francisco Ortega, planned the fortifications and irrigation works. He obtained livestock for the presidio from Ventura, established orchards, and began large-scale farming. Four years later, construction of the nearby Mission Santa Barbara began. The town of Santa Barbara developed around the Presidio, which offered protection for the residents.

The Presidio was built as a fortress, and therefore included a strong outer wall with an open parade ground on all sides affording clear visibility. While, during its sixty years of operation, it was never attacked by a strong military force, the Presidio was subject to the assaults of nature. Several devastating earthquakes in the early 19th century destroyed much of the structure.^[6] At the time of the Mexican-American War, very little remained in usable condition,^[4] and on December 27, 1846, when John C. Frémont crossed San Marcos Pass during rainy weather and came up on the Presidio and the town from behind, the Presidio surrendered without a fight. No fight was necessary; the garrison was away, in Los Angeles. Frémont had heard that the Mexican army was lying in ambush for him at Gaviota Pass, the only sensible route over the mountains at that time, and had crossed the difficult muddy track on San Marcos Pass to outflank them, but this move turned out not to have been necessary. Mexican General Andrés Pico later surrendered his force to Frémont, recognizing that the war was lost.^[8]

In 1963, the Santa Barbara Trust for Historic Preservation (SBTHP) was founded, with the primary mission of restoring the Presidio. In 1966, the land on which the Presidio is located became a State Historic Park.^[5] On December 27, 2006, the SBTHP signed an agreement with the California State Parks Department to manage the Presidio.^[9] Work on the restoration is currently taking place. On November 26, 1973 the Presidio of Santa Barbara was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.^[10]

• Tompkins, Walker A. (1975). Santa Barbara, Past and Present. Tecolote Books, Santa Barbara, CA. 
• Tompkins, Walker A. (1976). It Happened in Old Santa Barbara. Sandollar Press, Santa Barbara, CA. 

• Military districts in Spanish California

• Santa Barbara Trust for Historic Preservation
• California State Parks