Mar Y Cel, also known as Mar i Cel (Catalan: "Sea and Sky"),[1] is a private Open space reserve in Santa Barbara County, California, United States, with a conservation easement held by the Land Trust for Santa Barbara County. Located in the Santa Ynez Mountains foothills above Montecito, Mar Y Cel is a 350-acre (1.4 km2) estate. It includes the Tea Gardens as well as the West Fork of Cold Springs Trail, a well used hiking trail.[2]
| Mar Y Cel | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Location | Santa Barbara County, California, United States |
| Nearest city | Montecito, California |
| Area | Total area, 350 acres (1.4 km2) Conservation easement, 150 acres (0.61 km2) |
| Established | September, 2000 |
| Governing body | Land Trust for Santa Barbara County |
| Website | www.sblandtrust.org/land/mar-cel-montecito/ |
Early history
editHenry E. Bothin (pronounced, "bo-THEEN") (d. 1923), of Ohio, moved to San Francisco and began building up his financial holdings, starting with a spice and coffee factory in 1875 and then gaining large commercial real estate holdings. He was also president of Judson Manufacturing Company. Around 1916, Bothin and his second wife, heiress Ellen "Nellie" Chabot Bothin (1865-1965), added the 350-acre (1.4 km2) Mar Y Cel property, commonly referred to as the "Tea Gardens", to their Montecito estate home, Piranhurst, which was nearing completion. Ellen's deceased father, Antoine "Anthony" Chabot,[3] had been notable for his Bay Area water systems, and had been a colleague of Bothin's. Upon Mar Y Cel, the Bothins built stone aqueducts,[1] water works, arches, and statues. The water projects included scalloped bowls that rested on columns, allowing water to spill from one bowl into the other. After completion, 35 gardeners maintained the area. Other construction included a 200-seat amphitheater, as well as the "Tea House", built as an open-air piazza, surrounded by four walls.[1]
Following the June 29, 1925, magnitude 6.3, Santa Barbara earthquake,[4] three of the Tea House walls were damaged. Subsequently, atmospheric painter and landscape designer Lockwood de Forest Jr. (1850-1932),[5] added red brick garden planters to the property, while the water garden system was remodeled, costing one million dollars.[1]
After Ellen's death, Edward F. Brown purchased a portion of Piranhurst from the family heirs. This led to the "Tea Gardens" property becoming a separate parcel which the Bothin family sold to Mr. Shirley Carter Burden (1908-1989),[6] a fine arts photographer, writer, and great-great-grandson of Cornelius Vanderbilt.[7] Burden later resold it to the current owners.[1]
21st century
editIn September 2000, Cima del Mundo LLC, an environmental investment group, offered to donate a conservation easement on a portion of Mar Y Cel: the northern 150 acres (0.61 km2). This eliminated the possibility of future residential development while ensuring the protection of both wildlife habitat and the property's scenic beauty.[8] In addition, the company granted a .5 miles (0.80 km) easement to the Land Trust ensuring that a portion of the Cold Spring Trail is open for public use.[2]
On November 13, 2008, the Montecito Tea Fire ignited the historic "Tea House" structure above Mountain Drive.[9] Over the course of several days, the fire spread and burned 1,940 acres (8 km2), destroyed over 200 homes, and injured 13 people.
References
edit- ^ a b c d e "Mar Y Cel". sbphototours.com. Archived from the original on November 20, 2008. Retrieved November 19, 2008.
- ^ a b "Open Space Preserves". sblandtrust.org. Archived from the original on June 12, 2008. Retrieved November 19, 2008.
- ^ Colbruno, Michael (May 13, 2008). "Antoine "Anthony" Chabot - The Water King". mountainviewpeople.blogspot.com. Retrieved November 19, 2008.
- ^ "1925 Earthquake". santabarbaracourthouse.org. July 22, 2004. Retrieved November 19, 2008.
- ^ "LOCKWOOD DE FOREST". Sullivan Goss. Retrieved November 19, 2008.
- ^ Parisi, J.D. (March 1993). "Shirley Carter Burden papers, 1947-1989" (PDF). The New York Public Library. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 20, 2004. Retrieved November 19, 2008.
- ^ "Shirley Burden, 80, a Writer-Photographer". The New York Times. June 5, 1989. Retrieved November 19, 2008.
- ^ Torkells, Erik (March 8, 2025). "The Montecito Tea Gardens Has Been Sold". Siteline. Retrieved March 10, 2025.
- ^ "Tea fire". Los Angeles Times. November 14, 2008. Archived from the original on May 18, 2009. Retrieved November 15, 2008.
External links
edit- Archives.si.edu: Photos of "Mrs. H.E. Bothin's gardens at Piranhurst" — in 1930 ("including red brick planters").