Santa Barbara Courthouse — Mural Room

The Mural Room sits on the second floor of the Santa Barbara County Courthouse at 1100 Anacapa Street in downtown Santa Barbara. Built in 1929 in the Spanish Colonial Revival style, the courthouse has red tile roofs, graceful arches and a four-faced clock tower. The room began as the County Supervisors' Assembly Room and is now used for weddings, civic gatherings and social events.

The Mural Room is an indoor ceremony space that holds up to 100 guests. Four large murals by Dan Sayre Groesbeck cover the walls and tell the story of the Chumash, Spanish, Mexican and immigrant history of the region. The ceiling is hand-painted in a Mudéjar style by John B. Smeraldi. The room also keeps its original oak and walnut furniture, terracotta tile floors and heavy wrought-iron and hammered-tin chandeliers, so little decoration is needed. The building has wide ramps and an elevator for wheelchair access.

The room is rented as a ceremony space only, with no in-house catering, staffing or decor, so couples bring their own coordinator and vendors. Because the courthouse is open to the public, one door must stay open during your ceremony. Flash photography is not permitted, existing furnishings and drapes stay where they are, and equipment is loaded in and out only during your booked window. Couples are responsible for cleanup. The ceremony rental starts at $700. Reservations go through the County Parks Division, and a marriage license is obtained separately from the County Clerk-Recorder.