Decomposing Santa Barbara

Summerland’s defunct Big Yellow House went into foreclosure last Spring and was taken over by mortgage holder First Regional Bank of Los Angeles in October. The bank plans to list the property in the next 30 days. This blog offers a detailed history of the property and its influence in Summerland [...]

By David Petry

Like a taxi waiting for its next fare, The Big Yellow House stands vacant on the side of the 101 Freeway in Summerland. A favorite stop since the early 1970s as travelers passed north and south, the restaurant served straightforward American fare, at times in dishes and platters family style. Mashed potatoes and [...]

Part 2: Doctor Norton’s Rental House

Immediately following the expansion of his family, Henry Williams tagged a handful of lots on the edge of his new town for his own use and built the one-story wooden home at 108 Pierpont. Completed in 1890, the modest home had a small basement, a stone foundation, and a fabulous [...]

Part 3: Rooster on the Dung Pile

When the family returned to Summerland, they took up residence in the remodeled house on Pierpont Avenue. Becker, seeing that oil was a more profitable business than jewelry in the area, switched hats. He took over Williams wells, bought back the other two thirds of the enterprise from Agnes’ [...]

Part 4: The Big Yellow Storm

Marketing West, recognizing the success of their family-style dinners served in an old home, created a spin-off firm, Great American Restaurants, and ran with it. By 1978, there were 17 Big Yellow Houses in California and Nevada, with 9 in the south, 8 in the north. Northern sites included Reno, [...]