Revamped Century-Old Party House for Sale in Santa Barbara

In the market for your very own event space — specifically a Structure of Merit property that can easily host up to 30 people for intimate celebrations, while also offering short-term stays? Now’s your chance to pick up the Santa Barbara House, a historic Free Classic Queen Anne-style residence in the city’s Eastside neighborhood that just popped up for sale, asking a speck under $4.3 million.

Built way back in the early 1900s by the Hunt family — and originally one of a row of Victorian vacation dwellings known as the Santa Barbara Houses — the place was purchased in 2017 for $1.5 million by web developer Elihu Bogan and his wife Jen, a wedding photographer and stylist. The couple subsequently undertook an extensive restoration and renovation, complete with a new engineered foundation, electrical and plumbing systems, roofs and outdoor terraces, plus updated irrigation and lighting.

Sited on a nearly quarter-acre parcel in downtown Santa Barbara, near the Alice Keck Memorial Garden, Santa Barbara County Courthouse and State Street, the structure features a main house and two guest units — for a total of seven bedrooms and six baths in almost 4,400 square feet of living space. There’s also a detached storage building and new two-car garage sporting an electric charging station.

Steps lead up to the columned front porch of the main five-bedroom, four-bath house, with the front door opening into a double-height foyer displaying a curving staircase and powder room. From there, a small fireside living room connects to a dining area sporting a built-in bench topped by a bay window. The adjoining deVOL-designed kitchen was shipped from the U.K., and is outfitted with a large apron-front sink, an eat-in island, high-end Viking appliances and a door leading out to a large covered porch with steps descending to the yard.

Other main-level highlights include a media room, which connects via a hallway kitchenette to a primary bedroom boasting a soaking tub and door to the aforementioned porch, as well as a bath equipped with a shower. Four more bedrooms can be found on the second level, including two larger ones that share a bath and two with access to another bath.

As for the guest units, each one has its own bedroom, bath, living area and kitchenette, along with their own entrances and terraces. Outdoors, the grounds are laced with roses, Italian cypress and mature olive trees, and host several spots ideal for al fresco gatherings. The home also is eligible for the Mills Act, meaning homeowners can receive reduced property taxes in exchange for restoring and preserving historic structures.

The listing is held by the Calcagno & Hamilton Group of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties.