How a Historic Santa Barbara Church Became One of California's Most Distinctive Boutique Hotel Experiences
Written by Will Jones
From holy space to hospitality destination, Santa Barbara's Casa Iglesia pairs historic adaptive reuse with a compelling new escape for Southern California travelers. The most memorable places rarely begin as destinations.
They begin as something else entirely. Long before they are photographed, reviewed, or recommended, they have already earned their place in the world around them.
Casa Iglesia is one of those places.
Its history is inseparable from its appeal.
Some of today's most compelling hotels were never intended to be hotels at all. Their appeal comes not from what was built, but from what was preserved. Architecture can be replicated. History cannot.
Originally constructed in 1924 as the home of Santa Barbara's First Christian Church, whose roots in the community date back to 1888, the property has spent more than a century evolving alongside the city around it.
In 1957, renovations introduced the Mediterranean-inspired silhouette and blush-colored façade that would become familiar to generations of Santa Barbara residents. Today, following an extensive transformation, the historic structure has entered a new chapter as Casa Iglesia, a 37-key boutique hotel. The challenge facing the project's redevelopment team was not simply converting a former church into a hospitality destination. It was determining how to preserve the qualities that made the building meaningful while adapting it for an entirely different purpose.
"The most successful adaptive reuse projects don't begin with what a building can become. They begin with understanding what makes a place worth preserving in the first place," said Arvand Sabetian, founder of ZenStay.
Led by AB Design Studio and architect Will Rivera, the redevelopment worked within the framework of the existing structure, adapting it for modern hospitality while preserving the architectural character that had defined the property for generations
"By pairing thoughtful adaptive reuse with a forward-thinking hospitality model, we've created a guest experience designed for the contemporary traveler," said Sabetian.
That philosophy is reflected throughout Casa Iglesia, but perhaps nowhere more clearly than in the decision to preserve the building's original footprint.
"My vision for Casa Iglesia was to preserve the character of the old church while creating something warm, calm, and timeless," said Shaliz Nakashima, hotel interior designer and wife of founder Arvand Sabetian. "We kept the original footprint and opened the atrium in the center to create an outdoor gathering space that became one of the defining features of the hotel. The design has Spanish and Moroccan influences, with the goal of creating a place that feels transportive and welcoming, like a hidden retreat with a story behind it."
Modern hospitality is filled with beautiful spaces. What remains far more difficult to create is a genuine sense of place. Buildings with histories of their own offer something increasingly rare: authenticity that predates the guest experience itself.
For Los Angeles travelers looking beyond the familiar weekend itinerary, properties like Casa Iglesia offer a different kind of escape, one rooted as much in history and character as in hospitality.
At Casa Iglesia, original architectural character exists alongside contemporary design elements, creating a property that feels connected to its past without being confined by it. The result is neither purely restorative nor wholly transformative, but something uniquely its own.
"We didn't want guests to feel as though they were staying in a preserved monument. We wanted them to feel connected to the history of the building while experiencing it in a way that feels welcoming and relevant today," said Nakashima.
Spanning approximately 15,000 square feet across three levels, the property offers a collection of studios, lofts, and two-bedroom accommodations organized around the central atrium. While contemporary comforts have been integrated throughout, the building's architectural identity remains the defining feature of the experience.
Projects like Casa Iglesia reflect a broader evolution within hospitality. Across the country, developers are increasingly looking beyond new construction and recognizing the value of buildings that already possess character, history, and a connection to their communities.
The most successful examples do not attempt to recreate the past, nor do they ignore it. Instead, they find ways to carry it forward.
Casa Iglesia does exactly that.
Nearly a century after its construction, the building at 1915 Chapala Street in Santa Barbara continues to serve a purpose, albeit a very different one from that envisioned by its original congregation.
Long before it became a hotel, Casa Iglesia had already earned its place in the community around it. That history is not incidental to the guest experience. It is part of what makes the experience memorable.
