Beneath a canopy of century-old oaks in the Glendessary enclave of Mission Canyon, five distinct residences gather on a single +/- .89 acre parcel to create a Santa Barbara heritage compound known for more than a century as Los Colibrís, ''The Hummingbirds''. This property was home to ornithologist William Leon Dawson, who founded the Museum of Comparative Oology here in 1916. That small museum, housed in two buildings on these grounds, became the founding core of the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, just down the road.
A gated entry, framed by native sandstone piers and lanterns, welcomes you while pathways wander past oak and olive trees, banana palms, and beds of lush, layered planting, linking each home to the next. At its heart stands the original farmhouse, built circa 1900 and thoughtfully refreshed over the years. During the current owner's tenure, meaningful improvements have been made throughout the property, including upgrades to the electrical systems, foundation, landscaping, HVAC, and much more. White wooden siding, a covered porch running the length of the house, and a balcony wrapping three sides of the second floor curate a sense of timelessness that, like most of the hidden gems of Santa Barbara, connects the beauty of the old world with the functionality of new. Inside, light pours through tall double-hung windows. Anchored by a corner brick fireplace, the dining room and living room blend together, while the kitchen, remodeled with a farmhouse sink, open shelving, and a sunny breakfast nook, looks out to the gardens. Five bedrooms, three baths, and an office complete the house, with the upstairs rooms opening to treetop views and the wraparound balcony.
Across the grounds, four 1 bed/1 bath cottages each carry their own character. The Adobe, a yellow stucco studio built in 1912 and one of the original museum buildings, is the showpiece: a soaring vaulted ceiling with exposed trusses, a white-painted brick fireplace, terracotta floors, steel-framed windows, a loft bedroom, full kitchen, and bath. Beside it, the Iron Nest, built around 1918 to house Dawson's egg collection, is now a light-filled cottage with a remodeled kitchen and bath and a private deck. The West Cottage and the shingled Brown Cottage round out the compound. In all, approximately 5,366 square feet of living space across five residences.
The grounds are made for living outside as much as in. A level lawn rests on a hand-laid sandstone wall, with room for long dinners beneath the oaks. A fire-pit lounge is strung with woven lanterns, a sports court sits behind a privacy hedge, and a children's playhouse waits under the trees. Persimmon, cherry, lemon, lime, pomegranate, peach, blood tangerine, and orange trees fill the orchard corners, and an EV charger and ample off-street parking services the compound.
Whether it's gathering several generations on one property, capitalizing on the tremendous rental income potential offered by four separate guest cottages, or simply owning a piece of Santa Barbara history, the flexibility that this incredible property offers is simply one of a kind. All of this within walking distance of the Old Mission, the Rose Garden, Rocky Nook Park, and the Museum of Natural History, with downtown and Upper State Street a short bike ride away. More than a hundred years on, Los Colibrís remains what Dawson made it: a gathering place, a quiet retreat, and one of the most spectacular properties in all of Santa Barbara.
