Mar Y Cel facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Mar Y Cel |
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| Location | Santa Barbara County, California, USA |
| Nearest city | Montecito, California |
| Area | Total area, 350 acres (1.4 km2) Conservation easement, 150 acres (0.61 km2) |
| Established | September, 2000 |
| Governing body | Land Trust for Santa Barbara County |
Mar Y Cel, or more correctly Mar i Cel, means "Sea and Sky" in the Catalan language. It is a special open space preserve in Santa Barbara County, California, USA. This beautiful natural area is protected by the Land Trust for Santa Barbara County.
Mar Y Cel is located in the Santa Ynez Mountains foothills, high above Montecito. The entire estate covers about 350 acres (1.4 square kilometers). It includes the famous "Tea Gardens" and a popular hiking path called the West Fork of Cold Springs Trail.
Contents
History of Mar Y Cel
Early Days and the Bothin Family
The story of Mar Y Cel begins with Henry E. Bothin, a successful businessman from Ohio. He built a large company in San Francisco starting in 1875. Around 1916, Henry and his wife, Ellen "Nellie" Chabot Bothin, bought the 350-acre Mar Y Cel property. This area was often called the "Tea Gardens."
The Bothins built amazing structures on Mar Y Cel. They created stone aqueducts, which are like channels for water, along with water fountains, arches, and statues. The water features included beautiful bowls that spilled water from one to another. After everything was built, 35 gardeners worked to keep the area looking perfect.
They also built a large amphitheater that could seat 200 people. An open-air building called the "Tea House" was also constructed, surrounded by four walls. In 1918, a special flower called a gladiolus was even named after Ellen, called the Mrs. H. E. Bothin.
Changes After the Earthquake
On June 29, 1925, a strong earthquake (magnitude 6.3) hit Santa Barbara. Three of the Tea House walls were damaged. After this, a landscape designer named Lockwood de Forest, Jr. helped redesign parts of the property. He added red brick garden planters, and the water garden system was rebuilt.
After Ellen Bothin passed away, the "Tea Gardens" property became a separate piece of land. It was sold to Shirley Carter Burden, a photographer and writer. He later sold it to the current owners.
Mar Y Cel Today: A Protected Area
In September 2000, an environmental group called Cima del Mundo LLC made an important offer. They decided to donate a "conservation easement" on 150 acres (0.6 square kilometers) of Mar Y Cel. A conservation easement is a legal agreement that protects land from being developed in the future. This means no houses can be built on this part of Mar Y Cel. It helps protect the wildlife and keeps the area beautiful.
The company also gave the Land Trust a special agreement for a half-mile (0.8 kilometer) section of the Cold Spring Trail. This ensures that this part of the trail stays open for everyone to use.
The Montecito Tea Fire
On November 13, 2008, a wildfire known as the Montecito Tea Fire started. It sadly burned the historic "Tea House" structure. Over several days, the fire spread across 1,940 acres (7.85 square kilometers). It destroyed over 200 homes and injured 13 people.
