{"nrhp_refnum":"87001170","name":"Janssens-Orella-Birk Building","other_names":["The Copper Coffee Pot"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"1029--1031 State St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Santa Barbara","county":"Santa Barbara County","state":"CA","lat":34.41250099300004,"lon":-119.70285476999999,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1987-07-16","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Community Planning and Development","Architecture","Social History"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story, L-shaped masonry commercial building at 1029-1031 State Street in Santa Barbara, California, designed in 1927 and expanded in 1932 by Edwards, Plunkett & Howell. It was built as the Copper Coffee Pot restaurant.","why_significant":"The nomination cites Criteria A and C. For nearly 60 years the building was a center of social life for Santa Barbara's writers and local figures. It is a good example of Spanish Colonial Revival architecture by locally important architects, and its placement relative to the street reflects Bertram Goodhue's 1919 city plan concept of buildings alternating between the curb line and recessed patios.","narrative":"Built in 1927 on State Street in downtown Santa Barbara, this two-story, L-shaped stucco building housed the Copper Coffee Pot, a restaurant and cafeteria that served as a social hub for nearly sixty years. Edwards, Plunkett & Howell designed it in the Spanish Colonial Revival style and added to it in 1932. Features include a hand-made tile roof, wrought iron balconies, an arcade, and a tiled patio with a lion's head wall fountain. Part of an 1850s adobe built by Augustin Janssens survives in one wall. The recessed patio reflects Bertram Goodhue's idea that some State Street buildings should sit back from the curb. The restaurant drew writers such as Ross MacDonald and Max Schott. A 1946 remodel altered the exterior, but 1987 work restored the original arcade, patio wall and roofing details while converting the interior to offices. The period of significance ends in 1937.","period_of_significance":"1927-1937","architect_builder":"Edwards, Plunkett & Howell (architects); Harold Vaile, builder (per sketch map)","architectural_style":"Spanish Colonial Revival","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"The restaurant closed on September 30, 1985. In 1987 the exterior was restored to its original appearance and the interior converted to offices and commercial space. Exterior integrity is described as very high and interior integrity as moderate.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:28.242455-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/87001170.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/87001170/03b5bf1a39-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/87001170/03b5bf1a39-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Ymblanter","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Janssens-Orella-Birk_Building.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Ymblanter</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Janssens-Orella-Birk_Building.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123861598","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Janssens%E2%80%93Orella%E2%80%93Birk_Building","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6155577"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/california/santa-barbara-county/janssens-orella-birk-building-87001170/"}