A Home With a Secret Garden

Address: 317 West Micheltorena Street

Standing on the sidewalk in front of the charming white picket fence at 317 West Micheltorena Street, there is little indication of the lush foliage that inhabits much of the home’s backyard. The yard was bare when Grace and Woodie Wilde (pronounced WILL-dee) bought the house in the mid-1980s. Little by little, and on a tight budget, they filled the backyard with many species of plants that thrive in our climate. Sitting on a small bench amid the greenery, it’s possible to imagine you are in a tropical forest. Another small home — a former carriage house — is located at the back of the 200-foot-deep property and is accessed by an alley that extends to Castillo Street.

The Home’s Origin

It’s always amusing to find the cost of building a home in Santa Barbara way back when. This one-story frame home was built in 1906 for $1,800. The 1907 Sanborn Fire Insurance map shows that it was the first house built on the south side of the 300 block of West Micheltorena Street. The home is a simple Italianate style with wide eaves supported by decorative brackets. This style was most popular from 1840 to 1885, although other examples were built in the years beyond that.