In March of 2007, the Santa Barbara Trust for Historic Preservation purchased the Jimmy’s Oriental Gardens property at 126 East Canon Perdido Street (next to El Cuartel in El Presidio de Santa Bárbara State Historic Park) from the Chung family who had operated the Chinese restaurant and lived in the adjoining residence for sixty years. The acquisition of Jimmy’s uniquely enhances SBTHP's ability to interpret the many-layered history of Santa Barbara’s Presidio Neighborhood, which has included Native American, Spanish, Mexican, Euro-American, Chinese and Japanese settlers over the past 200-plus years.

Jimmy’s Oriental Gardens was a longtime favorite for locals and tourists alike before closing its doors in 2006 with the retirement of operator Tommy Chung. Opened in 1947 by Tommy’s father, Jimmy Yee Chung, the Chung family and Jimmy’s Oriental Gardens have been a part of the diverse communities of people who have lived and worked within the Presidio Neighborhood. During the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries the area in and around the Santa Barbara Presidio included communities of Chinese and Japanese, residing in what was a unique and culturally rich neighborhood. As the last Chinese–run business in Chinatown, Jimmy’s serves as a visible link to that past.

SBTHP has begun initial planning and outreach to develop a museum in Jimmy’s Oriental Gardens. We are currently renting the dining room and kitchen portion of the property to help cover the cost of the building while retaining the bar portion for interpretation of Santa Barbara’s Asian American history. The plans for this project are being developed through an interpretive planning process that has recently begun with interpretive planning consultants Metaphor. SBTHP looks forward to our new role as stewards of this unique community treasure, and encourage you to check in frequently for future news and upcoming offerings.

For more information about Jimmy’s Oriental Gardens or to learn how you can become more involved, please call SBTHP at (805) 965-0093.

Preserving a Unique Cultural Heritage

Jimmy’s Oriental Gardens ca. 1950s.

Following the acquisition of Jimmy's, SBTHP formed an advisory group to help guide us in a series of programs related to Santa Barbara’s Asian American history. The work of this advisory group will lay the foundation for planning the future design and content of exhibits and programs for Jimmy’s Oriental Gardens. Ongoing and past programs include:

• A new oral history project focusing on Chinese and Japanese Americans in Santa Barbara. SBTHP has forged partnerships to develop this project with the University of California Santa Barbara Asian American Studies Department and library. Xiaojian Zhao, professor of Asian American Studies at UCSB, assisted with the interview structure and content, and guided UCSB undergraduates who conducted the first interview. Professor Zhao, also a member of SBTHP’s Research Center Committee, has written extensively on Chinese American history, and conducted significant local research. Salvador Guerena, Director of California Ethnic and Multicultural Archives at UCSB library, and a member of SBTHP's Research Center Committee, lends his expertise with oral history to the project, and worked with UCSB undergraduate students on the transcription of the first interview.
• SBTHP created a public lecture series in 2009, Sharing Our Common Ground: Asian American History in Santa Barbara County, to bring together new friends and advisors and to serve as the public kickoff for the planning process.The speakers were Xiaojian Zhao, Ph.D., Linda Bentz, and Kent Haldan, Ph.D. whose lectures were "Chinese American Community in Santa Barbara, 1860-1950," "Mollusks and Hot Irons: Chinese Entrepreneurship in Santa Barbara," and "Where East Meets West in California: Three Japanese American Communities in Santa Barbara County."

During the initial planning and outreach to develop a museum in Jimmy’s Oriental Gardens we have met several interested scholars and community members who are providing valuable input and support. To offer your support, or for more information on this project visit the Santa Barbara Presidio Research Center or call (805) 965-2004.