The work being done at Old Mission Santa Barbara is about conservation, not restoration.
Kristina Foss, the mission museum director and cultural resource manager, made sure to make that distinction Thursday while leading the first guided look behind the years-long $1.2 million project to restore the church founded on Dec. 4, 1786.
She was in good company, captivating members of the Santa Barbara Pearl Chase Society, which strives to conserve historic landmarks like the mission. Members of the media were also invited.
The society handed a $20,000 check for further renovations to Brother Regan Chapman, although Foss said much of the money had already been spent to relocate four holy water fonts that were mistakenly moved from their 1820 resting place in 2000.
A federal “Save America’s Treasures” grant funded most of the overall restoration, along with The Pearl Chase Society and others.
“What we learn from the past informs our future,” said Barbara Lowenthal, president of the nonprofit society started in 1996.
After joking that she was among the only other folks who get excited about adobe bricks, Foss showcased the oldest parts of the mission complex, which are in the convento wing near the current gift shop.
The tour passed through seven renovation projects, including hydrology wells that protect the mission from groundwater and the burial chamber underneath the church’s floor, which was reinforced with steel to replace rusty trolley rails supports.
She also pointed out the solstice window in the choir loft of the church, which was unfortunately covered with the organ pipes over the years.
Historically, Foss said, sun was supposed to shine through the window to the altar.
Uncovering the window will be the next project, she said.
Foss outlined the history of the landmark and tweaks made after damage and cracks sustained in earthquakes during 1812 and 1925.
She pointed out mission repairs in 1820 and 1952, calling attempts to plaster breaking stone walls “Franciscan repair” — meaning friars would use any available materials instead of the breathable limestone conservationists now use.
The tour concluded outside the church, which was given a facelift more recently, according to paint samples collected from the original structure.
That shade of salmon was there all along, Foss said, although some people have commented on it being a bit too flashy.
“It was just needing a paint job,” she said, noting it would probably be faded again in another 40 years.
— Noozhawk staff writer Gina Potthoff can be reached at gpotthoff@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
