Prominent architect, Peter J. Barber, designed this Italianate style residence as the headquarters for Thomas Hope's large ranch, Las Positas y La Calera. Barber also designed the nearby Sexton House.

Hope, who owned and raced famous horses, was one of the richest men in Santa Barbara County. He died in 1876 shortly after the house was completed. His widow and six children lived here for twelve years.

In 1967, when Mr. and Mrs. E. George Obern acquired the house, it had been vacant for two years and vandalized. The county had condemned the building planned to demolish it. Restoration started in March, 1968.

In 1978 when the Hope House was listed on the National Register, it was still in its original setting. Many of the large trees, including live oaks, eucalyptus trees, date palms and the huge arborvitae and Monterey cypress, appear in early photos. The 7½ acres contained typical outbuildings of a working ranch: two cottages, a manager's cottage, a seven-room the bunk house and a ninety-foot long tin roofed equipment shed.

Source: Adapted from the NRHP nomination submitted in 1978.

You can see the house from the street without trespassing. The interpretive marker reads: