About
A Landmark Reborn on the Summerland Coast
Who We Are
The Big Yellow House is a 140-year-old Victorian landmark in Summerland, California, now being reimagined as a refined community arts center for the Southern California coast.
For generations, this house has stood at the heart of Summerland's story: a private home, a spiritualist gathering place, and one of the most beloved family restaurants on the coastline. Today, it begins its next chapter as a destination for art, ideas, and community, while honoring everything that came before.
Our Vision
We are restoring the Big Yellow House into a gathering place that the coast has been waiting for. The redevelopment honors the building's soul while curating a modern cultural experience:
- Exhibitions: A rotating program of shows that challenge and delight, bringing new voices and established artists to the Summerland coastline.
- Workshops: Hands-on programming that teaches craft and curiosity, from fine art to the practical trades of making.
- Live Events: Performances and gatherings that bring neighbors and visitors into the same room, restoring the house's long tradition as a community anchor.
Our History
Rooted in 1884.
Erected by Summerland's founder as the young seaside colony was just finding its voice, the Big Yellow House began its life at the crossroads of ambition and spiritualist wonder. What follows is more than a century of reinvention.
Built by H. L. Williams as the original residence of Summerland's founder, in the earliest days of the seaside colony.
The house transformed into a vibrant family restaurant, famous up and down the coast for its charm and the much-loved tradition of pricing children's meals by their weight.
The house weathered one of the most devastating wildfires in California history and emerged standing, a testament to the resilience woven into its bones.
After more than a century of reinvention, the house is being thoughtfully restored as Summerland's premier community arts center.
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