Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
206
Housing to support the new school was built in 1912 and today is part of El Encanto (The En-
chanted). Seeing the growth potential, a local banker, George Batchelder, bought the surround-
ing area to develop it. He is credited with planting hundreds of oak trees on the hillside, to take
advantage of the new water system. He also started a trend by burying all the wires and cables
for the construction underground and insisting that new buildings must not block the views of
existing homes. Batchelder called his development the Riviera, since it reminded him of his trips
to the Mediterranean.
After student rentals for the normal school proved to be unprofitable, plans were made to
develop a cottage hotel from the student housing. Tourism was growing and, in 1918, El Encanto
Hotel and Garden Villas opened.
Many improvements have been made over the years, with the hotel passing through several
owners. Additional land has been acquired and many more cottages have been built. As a precursor
to the modern time-share industry, many of these cottages were designed and built to serve as winter
homes for the business tycoons of the day, including the founders of Time magazine, Pepsi-Cola,
and Arrow Shirts.
During the early days of Hollywood, El Encanto was a pleasant escape from the rigors of star-
dom and city life for many stars, including Clark Gable, Carole Lombard, and Hedy Lamarr. When
President Franklin D. Roosevelt stayed in cottage 320, it was renamed the Presidential Suite. More
recent celebrities have included Diane Lane, Sharon Stone, and Barbara Streisand, among others.
Perched above the red tile roofs of Santa Barbara and overlooking the Pacific Ocean and Chan-
nel Islands, El Encanto Hotel and Garden Villas has been an integral part of Santa Barbara's social,
cultural, and architectural heritage for more than 90 years.
El Encanto Hotel & Garden Villas
1900 Lasuen Road
Santa Barbara, California 93103
(805) 687-5000
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