Alice Keck Park Memorial Gardens 🌳 Santa Barbara

Pretty little park that invites you to linger.

The property, formerly the site of artist Albert Herter's El Mirasol Hotel (demolished in the 1960s), was purchased and donated to the city in 1975. The anonymous gift included funds to convert the land into gardens and an endowment for their maintenance. The identity of the donor remained a mystery until her death two years later, when it was revealed to be Alice Keck Park (1918-1977). Park was the daughter of William Myron Keck, founder of the Superior Oil Company. Park had a family connection to the Herters and the grounds - 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, naming them in honor of Park.