After La Casa de la Raza was red-tagged by the City of Santa Barbara in May for serious safety violations, it has officially reopened its doors. The space at 601 E. Montecito Street serves as a vital space for the Hispanic community in the city. Volunteers and community members rallied to bring the building back to code, with supporters showing up with their own tools to help restore the space.
Highlights
- On Thursday, La Casa de la Raza partially reopened after being red-tagged in May.
- The restoration was a collaborative effort among Santa Barbara community members, who showed up with tools to help resolve the code violations.
- The space was designated as a historic site last year for representing the rich cultural heritage of the Latinx community in the city.
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In a report to KSBY, lead Volunteer Jacqueline Inda shared that the collaborative effort entailed the repair of faulty wiring and resolving fire safety concerns. This allowed the city inspectors to remove the red tag last week, on Thursday. La Casa de la Raza also shared pictures and videos of the tag being peeled off the wall of the building, signaling their comeback…