La Arcada Plaza.
Our Story.
La Arcada Plaza
A Living Legacy
The Plaza
Some places earn their place in a city's identity. La Arcada didn't happen by accident — it was imagined, built with intention, and has been devotedly maintained for nearly a century. While much of downtown Santa Barbara has changed around it, La Arcada has remained something rare: a place that gets more beautiful with time.
Step through any of its three entrances and the city recedes. The tiled walkways, the fountains, the sculpture-lined courtyards — all of it exactly as it was meant to be. Immaculate. Unhurried. Alive.
"In a city famous for its beauty, La Arcada Plaza manages to feel like its one of the best-kept secrets."
The Stewards of La Arcada Plaza
In 1972, Hugh and Marjorie Petersen saw something in a neglected courtyard on State Street that others had missed. They purchased La Arcada Plaza and spent decades transforming it into the beloved landmark it is today — commissioning sculptures, sourcing art from around the world, restoring fountains, and building the kind of environment that rewards those who slow down long enough to notice it. Theirs was not a transactional relationship with a property. It was a devotion.
When Hugh prepared to retire, his niece Lynne Small Tahmisian stepped in — unwilling to let that devotion end. She has overseen La Arcada Plaza with the same exacting care and personal investment that has defined the plaza's stewardship for over fifty years. Under Lynne's watch, La Arcada remains what Hugh and Marjorie always intended: a place apart. A standard unto itself.
The Centennial
In 2026, La Arcada Plaza celebrates one hundred years on State Street.
A century of architecture preserved.
A century of community gathered.
A century of art collected, commissioned, and offered freely to anyone who walks through the plaza courtyard.
One hundred years is not simply an anniversary — it is proof. Proof that a place built with craft and maintained with care can outlast trends, outlast decades, and outlast the ordinary. La Arcada Plaza has done exactly that.
A Cultural Destination for Every Day
Seven restaurants. Independent boutiques. A public art collection that is its own gallery in the city. Whether you're stopping in for coffee, browsing the shops, or staying for the evening — La Arcada Plaza rewards every visit, every time.
The Most Beautiful Block on State Street
Walk State Street and then walk into La Arcada. The difference is immediate and unmistakable. Immaculate courtyards, thriving tenants, living art, and the kind of atmosphere that only comes from decades of genuine stewardship.
Where Santa Barbara Gathers
Meet me at the Plaza! It's how plans get made in Santa Barbara. A leisurely al fresco lunch at one of our restaurants. An afternoon wandering the boutiques among the arcades. A glass of wine by the fountain as the day winds down. La Arcada is where locals show up — again and again.
The Locals Know
There are people who have been coming to La Arcada Plaza for twenty, thirty, forty, fifty years. They come for the food, the art, the quiet reprieve from the street outside. Some places become yours. Ask anyone who knows Santa Barbara well enough. They'll point you here.
La Arcada Today
La Arcada Plaza
1114 State Street
Santa Barbara, CA 93101
(805) 966-6634