Rare Photos of the 1925 Santa Barbara Earthquake

[NORTH AMERICA - CALIFORNIA - SANTA BARBARA – 1925 EARTHQUAKE]

[Collection of 75 Loose Original Gelatin Silver Photographs, Showing the Destruction in Santa Barbara and Environs after the Earthquake on June 29, 1925].

Ca. 1925. Seventy-five loose gelatin silver photos: twenty larger ones (including one duplicate), ca. 11,5x16,5 cm (4 ½ x6 ½ in), and fifty-five smaller ones (including 10 duplicates), ca. 8x14 cm (3 ¼ x 5 ½ in). Twenty-two photos with later pencil or pen captions on verso. Several photos with small creases on the corners, one photo with a loss of the left upper corner, but overall a very good collection of rare strong photos.

Historically significant extensive collection of original photos, documenting the destruction of Santa Barbara’s historic downtown, caused by the earthquake on June 29, 1925. The earthquake measured a magnitude between 6,5 and 6,8 on the Richter scale and ruined most of the city centre. Only a few buildings on State Street – the commercial hub of Santa Barbara – remained standing. Most of the city landmarks, including the church of the Mission Santa Barbara, Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church, First National Bank, courthouse, jail, library, schools, hotels &c. sustained significant damage. The earthen Sheffield Dam northeast of Santa Barbara collapsed, inundating its eastern part. The tracks of the Southern Pacific Company railroad were also badly damaged. Thanks to the local engineer who shut off the town's gas and electricity, the earthquake did not result in the fire as it happened in San Francisco in 1906. This allowed the city planners to analyze the damage and improve the existing construction standards. The city was rebuilt over the next ten years according to more stringent building codes. Architecturally, the new buildings followed the Spanish Colonial Revival style, which defines the modern appearance of Santa Barbara.
The collection includes 64 original photos (and 11 duplicates) of Santa Barbara, taken shortly after the earthquake. A series of images shows the downtown core around the State Street – First National Bank (901 State St.), Arlington Hotel (between Sola and Victoria Sts.), Californian Hotel (State & Mason Sts.), Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic church (Figueroa and State Sts.), “Columbia Drug Co.” and “Hardware & Crockery” (1034 State St.), San Marcos building (State & Anapamu Sts.), “Spotless Cleaners” (17 West Ortega St.), “Gutierrez Drug Store” (State and Ortega Sts.), “El Nido” Hotel (934 State St.); “Central Hotel” and “Faulding Hotel” (corners of State and Haley Sts.), “Michael A. Levy Shoes” (913 State St.), Free Public Library (40 East Anapamu St.), Church of the Mission Santa Barbara, &c. There are also several photos of ruined private residences and workers cleaning up the debris. Over twenty photos show the destruction in Santa Barbara environs – the Sheffield dam, broken railway tracks, a damaged bridge, pipes, road construction machinery and workers. Overall an important extensive collection of original photos documenting the devastation of the 1925 Santa Barbara earthquake.

Item #535

Price: $1,500.00 USD