Oxnard, California: World's Largest Half-Santa

Carpinteria, California's fat Santa statue may have a new home. After barely surviving the destruction of Santa Claus Lane by developers last year, the 20-ft....

Sorry to say, Santa is struggling to stay after decades of enjoyment for roadside passers-by. The new owner wants to tear down the Santa structure and replace all buildings with a Cape Cod village motif. Historic preservationists are fighting to retain the Santa in its current position. The decision is with the county government. There is great public support for Santa but also support for private property rights.

Here is a vintage postcard from the 1950s-'60s.

One of Southern California's most prominent example of roadside vernacular architecture -- Carpinteria's fat Santa statue -- is a supervisorial decision away from becoming a memory. The new owner of the Santa Claus Lane property plans to destroy the recently renovated landmark "in order to create an upscale Cape Cod-style retail strip to service the conspicuous tastes of new residents to the community," according to a press release from Santa supporters.

Santa Claus lane is a corny collection of theme buildings,eg: Santa's Kitchen, the Reindeer Room; and atop the resturant there is a 20' high Santa waving at the people driving by on the Pacific Coast Highway. There used to be a snowman too, but Tom Merkel bought it and took it to New Cuyama. Now there's just the Santa, and he has a malevolent gleam in his eye.

But maybe not for long........there are new owners and they are petitioning the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors to tear down the Santa. It was built during the depression and is a local landmark, so many locals have been "putting on the Santa Hat" and attending Board meetings to show their opposition to changing things they love. The new owners want to dump the name and turn it into a faux Cape Cod Village. Big politics!

A story last week in the LA Times reported that Santa Claus Lane, in Carpinteria, CA, may be destroyed to make room for a "Cape Cod-style village." While some preservationists are hoping to save the worn remnants of the once popular tourist stop, a majority of property owners wish Santa could be replaced by something better. The chunk of valuable real estate sits near Santa Barbara right on the beach.