Central California - Recipes from Historic California - page 184

182
many hot baths to draw, and how many meals to prepare. When the guests arrived in the house's
own horse and carriage, everything would be above their highest expectations.
The Lincoln House was eventually sold and a succession of owners acquired more property
nearby, expanding the size of the boarding house. Cyrus Upham purchased the house in 1898 and
renamed it for himself. Upham built the two-story structure next door, still in operation today,
which he called the Lincoln Building, perhaps to justify his having changed the name of the original
boarding house.
When Upham died, the hotel was sold to Ira Goodridge. He and his family ran the property for
several years and are responsible for adding the cottages on the property.
An earthquake in 1925 damaged or destroyed much of downtown Santa Barbara, but the Up-
ham Hotel survived. Built of flexible redwood beams, the only significant damage was to some stone
fireplaces. Over the next few days, much of the town flocked to the Upham because it was one place
where hot coffee and meals were being served.
The hotel eventually passed to Carl Johnson from Pasadena, which also happened to have been
the home of Cyrus Upham and Ira Goodridge. Johnson went to great lengths and considerable ex-
pense to completely restore the hotel to its original grandeur.
One of the additions was to convert the sitting room off the lobby into an eating place. Leased
to Tom Gilbertson and Marcus Gatter, the restaurant was named Louie's Restaurant in honor of
Marcus's favorite dog.
The Upham Hotel is the oldest continuously operated hotel in Santa Barbara and remains an
integral part of its history.
The Upham Hotel & Country House
1404 De la Vina Street
Santa Barbara, California 93101
[phone]
[phone]