Santa Barbara Maritime Museum : The Santa Barbara Maritime Museum is very pleased and proud to be joining the ranks as the newest member of Santa Barbara's museum community. Located in the Santa Barbara Waterfront Center, the museum's structure was formerly known as the Old Naval Reserve Center, which was built by the Federal Government's Works Project Administration (WPA) program during the late 1930s through early 1940s. In 1942, the City of Santa Barbara sold the Naval Reserve Center for $1 to the Federal Government to support the war effort.
The facility was used as a U.S. Navy training facility from 1942 until 1995, when the U.S. Navy moved out of the building. It was sold back to the City of Santa Barbara and in 1999, construction began inside the building for the new Santa Barbara Maritime Museum. The Museum opened its doors to the public for its Preview Opening Celebration on July 29, 2000. At the present time, the museum's permanent exhibits are 15% complete. The remaining exhibit space is artfully occupied by temporary and traveling exhibits. Overall Museum completion is expected to occur between 2002-2003.
Last modified on: Monday, November 11, 2002
Document URL: http://resources.ca.gov/ocean/CWO_02/maritime.html
