Alice Keck Park Memorial Garden is a park located in
Santa Barbara, California
Santa Barbara ( es, Santa Bárbara, meaning "Saint Barbara") is a coastal city in Santa Barbara County, California, of which it is also the county seat. Situated on a south-facing section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Co ...
. It consists of one entire city block, bounded by Santa Barbara, Micheltorena, Garden and Arrellaga Streets. It is across Santa Barbara Street from the
Unitarian Society of Santa Barbara, and across Micheltorena Street from
Alameda Park
Alameda Park located in Santa Barbara, California, in the U.S., adjoining Alice Keck Park Memorial Gardens, is the location for many citywide celebrations, including Summer Solstice. It is also one of the city's oldest parks.
Occupying two ...
.
The property, formerly the site of artist
Albert Herter
Albert Herter (March 2, 1871 – February 15, 1950) was an American painter, illustrator, muralist, and interior designer. He was born in New York City, studied at the Art Students League with James Carroll Beckwith, then in Paris with Jean ...
's El Mirasol Hotel (demolished 1960s), was purchased and donated to the city in 1975. The anonymous gift included funds for the land's conversion into gardens, and an endowment for their maintenance. The donor's identity remained a mystery until her death, two years later, when it was revealed to have been Alice Keck Park (1918–1977). Park was the daughter of
William Myron Keck, the founder of
Superior Oil Company. Park had a family connection to the Herters and the site – W. M. Keck's sister Caroline (Alice's aunt) had been the widow of Herter's son Everit, who died in World War I. The City dedicated the gardens in 1980, and named them in Park's honor.
The garden features a man-made pond stocked with turtles and
koi
or more specifically , are colored varieties of the Amur carp ('' Cyprinus rubrofuscus'') that are kept for decorative purposes in outdoor koi ponds or water gardens.
Koi is an informal name for the colored variants of ''C. rubrofuscus'' ke ...
, as well as a gazebo and many meandering walkways and paths. All the plants in the garden, some native and some ornamental, are chosen specifically to be tolerant of the low-water nature of the Santa Barbara climate. In addition, there is an area regarded as a
sensory garden
A sensory garden is a self-contained garden area that allows visitors to enjoy a wide variety of sensory experiences. Sensory gardens are designed to provide opportunities to stimulate the senses, both individually and in combination, in ways that ...
for the visually impaired.
The Arbor Area of Alice Keck Park Memorial Garden is a popular venue for weddings. It is beautifully maintained and also public property, making it one of the best valued, budget-conscious wedding venues in Santa Barbara.
References
External links
Alice Keck Park map and photos
Parks in Santa Barbara, California
Gardens in California
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