WINNER of the 2024 NORTH STREET BOOK PRIZE in the Art Book Category!

From Critic Jendi Reiter:

“Architect Jeff Shelton's art book The Fig District: Some Buildings in Downtown Santa Barbara is a joyful compendium of colorful patterns, photographs, and blueprints from eight whimsical multi-use buildings he designed in a historic California neighborhood. In a time when even expensive homes often look cheap and bland, plopped down in treeless voids like personal mini-malls, it's inspiring to read about a team of artisans crafting unique buildings that are well-integrated into the pedestrian street life and that honor the city's cultural heritage.

"The Fig District" is a place that exists primarily in Shelton's imagination, a moniker he gives to the neighborhood around his office on Fig Avenue. And what an imagination it is! Strict design standards in this section of Santa Barbara require new homes to reference the aesthetics of Andalucia and Southern Spain, incorporating such materials as plaster, terra-cotta and ceramic tiles, and decorative ironwork. Shelton's team rose to the challenge.

Everything about this book's design reflects the same detail-oriented craftsmanship as the homes it depicts. Vibrant tile patterns decorate the endpapers and page borders. The binding is a sturdy hardcover—a welcome change from many entries in this contest that used hard-to-hold soft covers for oversized art books. The pages are thick and glossy with good color reproductions of photos and drawings. Sketches are paired with a photo of the finished architectural element and, where relevant, a concise and often amusing explanation of how it was altered in response to physical difficulties. A reader with no background in architecture or metalwork can easily understand the problem-solving that went into the final product.” — Jendi Reiter

“I met Neil and Sue Ablitt while I was on a ladder tiling a mosaic blanket at the Pistachio House, which is adjacent to their dry cleaning business. They approached and asked if I’d be interested in working on a new project and I said, “No, sorry, I’m too busy and not taking on any more work.” They proceeded to tell me that the project lot was a bit small, only twenty by twenty feet. Without a second’s hesitation I said, “I’ll take the job.” — excerpt from The Fig District.

In his colorful book, Architect Jeff Shelton tells the stories behind eight of his most exuberant downtown Santa Barbara buildings that exist within walking distance of each other and of his Fig Avenue office. Due to their proximity, a sort of informal Walking Tour of the buildings had sprung up organically and Jeff began to get requests for a map, and then for more information about each project. So the concept of an 8 page pamphlet was born. But there were too many stories to tell, the cast of characters too big, so many drawings and photographs to include, that the project grew into an 192 page hardcover book.

Packed with sketches, drawings and paintings, from early concepts to final elevations, The Fig District offers a glimpse into Jeff’s philosophy and design process, and Jason Rick’s beautiful photos reveal each building’s unique hand-crafted elements. The book details Jeff’s love of the pencil and hand-drafting, his creative approach to navigating Santa Barbara’s strict design standards, and the unusually fluid design process that occurs when adventurous clients meet an informally-formed group of local builders and craftspeople, aka the Merry Band of Artisans.

Jeff’s Walking Tour Map is printed in the book so that it can be used as a companion while exploring El Jardin, Cota Street Studios, El Zapato, Vera Cruz, the Ablitt Tower, El Andaluz, and the Pistachio House. The book also includes a fond farewell to Casa Blanca Restaurant.

Hardcover
192 Pages
11.5 x 9.5 inches