Statement of Significance (as of designation - April 5, 2005):
The Santa Barbara County Courthouse is nationally significant for its architecture. In "The City Observed: Los Angeles" (1984), Charles Moore called it the "grandest Spanish Colonial Revival structure ever built." In addition, the courthouse was a prime early catalyst for the community in its quest to remake itself to more fully reflect its Spanish roots. The building's exterior has had few changes since its construction during the mid-1920s, and the interior still retains its Spanish feeling and design.