SBTHP recently took an important step toward realizing its goal of making the site of Jimmy’s Oriental Gardens into a museum interpreting Asian American history in Santa Barbara. In late 2009 SBTHP officially repaid all loans obtained for purchasing the historic property in downtown Santa Barbara.

Initial funding for the 2007 purchase was secured through a commercial loan from Montecito Bank & Trust and low-interest loans from local supporting foundations, including the Santa Barbara Foundation, Hutton Foundation, Outhwaite Charitable Trust and Wood-Claeyssens Foundation. A deferred interest loan was later granted by the City of Santa Barbara Redevelopment Agency to help with the purchase.

Over the past two years our staff and volunteers have been busy conducting research and community outreach, including oral interviews with former neighbors and a three-part community lecture series on Asian American history in Santa Barbara County, to develop content for future exhibits. The site will eventually house a larger museum, the focus of which we are beginning to develop through an interpretive planning process in consultation with interpretive planning consultants Metaphor. Stay tuned. There is much more to come!

SBTHP thanks all those who have supported and continue to support our efforts to save Jimmy’s Oriental Gardens. With persistence and dedication we have ensured the preservation of the building and the stories it holds for future generations.

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