The exact origins of the home at 322 Castillo Street are hidden in the past of Santa Barbara. The earliest indication of this home’s existence is an 1877 bird’s-eye-view map. Artists created this type of map by going around a city, sketching buildings block by block. Then the artists imagined how it would look if he or she were flying like a bird, since this type of aerial map was developed long before people were able to fly. The home’s original location is believed to be at about 322 Bath Street, but as mentioned, the details are not clear.
A Popular Style
If the style of this home looks familiar, that’s because it was one of the more common styles in Santa Barbara in the late 1800s. The style is often called Victorian vernacular. Simple styles such as this were often not custom-designed by an architect. Instead, builders used a set of house plans, and built one or more homes. Homes built from a kit that included plans and pre-cut lumber were another reason why identical homes appeared.
