The historic Santa Barbara County Courthouse’s famed Great Arch is undergoing a major spring cleaning as part of an effort to preserve and protect the landmark passage and photo backdrop.
The Santa Barbara Courthouse Legacy Foundation embarked on the next phase of its nearly $800,000 Great Arch Conservation Project on April 3.
The aim is to clean and remove biological growth and pollution stains from the sandstone façade on the Sunken Garden side of the arch, a dominating presence in the center of the Spanish Colonial courthouse at 1100 Anacapa St.
A degraded coating that was causing deterioration on the Anacapa side of the arch was removed in 2020.
Donations to the nonprofit foundation — which focuses on conservation and restoration of the 94-year-old courthouse — are being used to commence work on the Sunken Garden side.
According to the foundation, the stains “are not only unsightly but lead to interior deterioration of the stone, which causes spalling on the historic sandstone and must be cleaned before further damage is done.”
Pacific Masonry Restoration of San Francisco is handling the project, and the Courthouse Legacy Foundation said that “only trained conservators experienced with historic structures will perform the work consistent with the Department of the Interior Standards for a National Historic Landmark such as our magnificent courthouse.”
This phase of the project includes surface treating the sandstone with dry ice and localized micro air abrasion to remove accumulated black stains and debris, as well as washing the arch’s interior walls, and treating and painting the wrought iron grilles and ornamentation on the windows.
Completion is expected in June.
The Great Arch of the historic Santa Barbara County Courthouse is a popular backdrop for photos at the historic building in downtown Santa Barbara. Credit: Serena Guentz / Noozhawk photo 
A worker with Pacific Masonry Restoration treats wrought iron grilles on the windows of the Great Arch at the historic Santa Barbara County Courthouse. The archway is undergoing a major restoration of its sandstone and ornamentation as part of a project that is expected to last until June. Credit: Serena Guentz / Noozhawk photo 
The Santa Barbara County Courthouse Legacy Foundation restoration of the Great Arch includes surface treating the sandstone with dry ice and localized micro air abrasion to remove accumulated black stains and debris. Credit: Serena Guentz / Noozhawk photo
The next phase will involve addressing damage to the sandstone, failed mortar joints and the loss of ornamental stone features.
According to the foundation’s website, the total cost of the entire project is $796,350.
“If the stonework is not repaired, it will continue to deteriorate, leading to an ongoing rise in the cost of future repairs,” said Angelique Davis, board president of the Courthouse Legacy Foundation.
“We need to address these issues now, before the Great Arch, a major architectural component of our beloved historic landmark, is compromised.”
Photos on the foundation’s website show where failed mortar joints have allowed excessive moisture to accumulate, leading to severe stone exfoliation.
“Numerous cracked and open mortar joints exist, particularly at the top of the Great Arch,” the foundation said. “Deteriorated mortar at the statues of Justitia and Ceres threaten the stability of these figures. Failed mortar joints allow water to penetrate the stone of the Great Arch, leading to erosion and loss of stone surfaces.”
The working Santa Barbara County Superior Court building is one of the county’s most utilized structures for public events, concerts, graduations and private weddings, and the majestic Great Arch passage is perhaps the most popular backdrop for photographs.
Click here for more information about the Santa Barbara Courthouse Legacy Foundation and the Great Arch project, or to make an online donation.