Woodward, John C.

Biography

John C. Woodward is a local attorney whose real passion is the study of Santa Barbara and California history. He has been actively involved in most local historical organizations, having served on the boards of the S.B. Historical Museum, the S.B. Mission Archive-Library and as chairman of both the City and County Historic Landmarks Commissions. In 1976 he drafted a complete revision of the El Pueblo Viejo Historic Landmarks Ordinance that was enacted into law and greatly strengthened protections for Sanata Barbara’s many historic landmarks, including 17 surviving old adobes. Mr. Woodward has conducted his own research over the past 45 years to comprehensively document all of the 200 adobe buildings that once dominated Santa Barbara’s architecture.

On August 28, 2014, Mr. Woodward presented an illustrated talk entitled, “Adobes of Old Santa Barbara, 1782-1872,” to the Architectural Foundation of Santa Barbara. Founded in 1782, the pueblo of Santa Barbara evolved over the next 90 years with almost all structures made of adobe. In 1872, something happened and adobe-building came to an abrupt halt. Using early photographs and paintings, many never published, Mr. Woodward took his audience on a virtual tour of adobe Santa Barbara as it looked 150 years ago.

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