The Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History was honored on Sept. 29 with the award for Santa Barbara Commons/Public Open Space at the Santa Barbara Beautiful 55th Annual Awards Celebration, Pathways to Community.
The event was held at the Music Academy of the West.
The award recognizes the beauty and environmental stewardship of the museum’s renovations along Puesta del Sol and its new ADA-compliant arrival corridor, both part of the $21 million Centennial Project completed in June 2018.
The museum improved public access by building a pedestrian-safe, ADA-compliant and stroller-friendly arrival corridor, which guides visitors from the parking lot to the historic front entry via the Blue Whale courtyard and a walkway surrounded by geological and paleontological wonders.
On the other side of the entry, a new pedestrian path parallel to the historic Hazard Estate stegosaurus Scottish picket wall along Puesta del Sol provides safe access between the museum and Mission Canyon Road, in homage to the original 1922 design.
“We’d like to thank Santa Barbara Beautiful for recognizing and celebrating the museum’s transformative Centennial Project that created inviting spaces for the community,” said museum president/CEO Luke J. Swetland.
“We wanted to preserve the museum’s historic heritage while making the public spaces in front of the museum environmentally responsible and accessible to all,” he said.
The museum shares the award with a team of architects, contractors, and landscapers including Suzanne Elledge Planning & Permitting Services, Schacht Aslani Architects, Frank Schipper Construction Company, Van Atta Associates, and Steve Hanson Landscaping, Inc.
Santa Barbara Beautiful’s 2019 award categories were adapted to meet the real and growing importance and impact of the local climate and the need for environmental stewardship. For more information, visit sbbeautiful.org/awards.
For more information about Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, visit sbnature.org.
— Briana Sapp Tivey for Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History.