One of Montecito and Santa Barbara’s famous storybook-style Moody Cottages is on the market. 

The Moody Sisters Cottage at 1086 Coast Village Road was listed earlier this month with a price tag of $3,950,000 through Radius Commercial Real Estate.

The 1932 building, located on a 0.09-acre lot, was designed by 20th century architect Harriet Moody as an artist’s studio for her sister, Mildred.

It evolved into a studio and tea room, and later on, an antique store; most recently, it was the rented home base of Coastal Properties, a real estate group.

Harriet was the eldest of five children, which included Mildred, Brenda, Wilma and Bert.

Led by Harriet, the four sisters worked together to create 35 whimsical homes in the English Vernacular Cottage-style in Santa Barbara and Montecito in the early to mid-20th century. 

The Moody sisters each brought different talents and experiences to the table.

Harriet first worked under her father, a local builder, before doing a three-year stint as a city of Santa Barbara assistant city engineer. Brenda had a real estate background and worked as the Santa Barbara County Recorder; Mildred studied art at UC Los Angeles and pursued interior design; and Wilma worked in the banking industry.

In a 1989 Santa Barbara News-Press article about women architects in the 20th century, Mildred, then 92, said it was difficult to pursue that line of work, but the four sisters “loved doing it.” 

Roughly 20 buildings the sisters designed remain standing today, including some on Rosemary and Periwinkle lanes, and one on Alameda Padre Serra. All are small and whimsical.

The Coast Village Road property was Harriet’s first. The Santa Barbara City Council designated it as a historic landmark in 2001. 

In line with the English Cottage style, it has a steeply-pitched roof that mimics the thatch roofs seen in the English countryside — a classic Moody sisters detail.

Inside are stucco walls, high ceilings and fireplaces; over one is a model of a dog, which runs on a wheel. 

Real estate agent Mike Chenoweth, senior vice president of Radius Commercial Real Estate, said the Cottage was a “neat part” of Santa Barbara history. 

“My goal is to find a new steward of the property,” Chenoweth told Noozhawk on Tuesday.