Santa Barbara Army Ground and
Service Forces Redistribution Station
A 1930 advertisement
for the Vista Mar Monte Hotel, one of the three resorts that
made up the Santa Barbara Army Ground and Service Forces Redistribution
Station
US Army Corps
of Engineers Los Angeles District History (1993)
Location: The
above facilities are located along the coast in the City of Santa
Barbara. The Miramar Hotel is located at the intersection of
U.S. Highway 101 and Eucalyptus Lane. The Biltmore Hotel is located
at the corner of Channel Drive and Hill Road. The Vista Mar Monte
Hotel is located on Cabrillo Boulevard.
Site History:
The site was condemned for use as a redistribution station for
Army servicemen and officers, prior to their discharge or reassignment
during the latter part of World War II. The site was used for
a period of 18 months. The Santa Barbara Biltmore Hotel has since
been renamed the Four Seasons Biltmore Hotel. The Vista Mar Monte
Hotel has since been renamed the Sheraton Santa Barbara Hotel
& Spa; and as of 1 June 1993, will be renamed the Radisson
Hotel.
A current picture
of the Santa Barbara Biltmore, now renamed the Four Seasons Biltmore.
US Army Corps
of Engineers Los Angeles District History (1992)
In 1944, toward the end of World War II,
the War Department, requisitioned the Miramar Hotel, the Santa
Barbara Biltmore Hotel and the Vista Mar Monte Hotel for use
as a redistribution station. The 68-acre site was acquired by
condemnation. (There is no available information on the acreage
for each hotel at the time of condemnation).
The facilities were converted by the Army into the Santa Barbara
Army Ground and Service Forces Redistribution Station. The hotels
were occupied exclusively for 18 months by the Army. The hotels,
along with other facilities and attractions throughout Santa
Barbara, were used as a place of relaxation for soldiers returning
to the United States from the war. In addition, the former redistribution
station was established to examine the physical condition and
military qualifications of each returning soldier prior to reassignment.
The former Redistribution Station was
restored to the individual private owners after the war when
leases for the 68-acre site were cancelled between 15 March 1946
and 13 February 1947.
Boardwalk of the
Miramar Hotel
Extract,
WWII Home Front: A Sentimental Journey
by Hattie Beresford, The Montecito
Journal
May 1945, 7.2 million men and women were
in uniform and Big Band tunes dominated the airwaves. On the
8th, the nation was ready to “Sing, Sing, Sing” along
with Benny Goodman when the Axis forces signed an unconditional
surrender in Europe. Now, full attention could be given to the
war in the Pacific Theater.
In Santa Barbara and Montecito, the Army
Ground and Service Forces (AG & SF) commandeered the Biltmore,
Miramar and Mar Monte hotels as Redistribution Stations. Soldiers
returning from the battlefronts of Europe and the Pacific received
a furlough here and were processed and evaluated for further
duty. The Cabrillo Pavilion was pressed into service as the check-in
and processing station.
While Harry James crooned his hit tune
on the radio, the wives of returnees flocked to Santa Barbara
to join their husbands to “kiss them once, and kiss them
twice,” for it had been ”a long, long time.” Some
couples had not seen each other in years.
The furlough included recreation and entertainment
but also compulsory appointments and classes. Medical and psychological
assessments, group discussions and educational presentations
were interwoven with a sports program and social activities and
amusements.
Required was a class called “Let’s
Be Normal,” and men “over here” were encouraged
to leave behind what they’d experienced “over there.”
For those for whom the horrors of “over there” had
a deeper impact, one-on-one interviews with a psychologist were
offered. Topics of others classes included “The American
Way,” and “Post-War Plans and Problems.”
The AG & SF offered a free sports
program. Returnees played golf at Montecito Country Club, swam
at Miramar and Coral Casino, fished in the Channel, and shot
arrows at the Archery range near the Cabrillo Pavilion. By June,
Santa Barbara’s beaches were “Bustin’ Out All
Over” with the sunbathing wives of returnees. Guided horseback
rides along miles of Santa Barbara and Montecito bridle paths
as well as sightseeing tours via bicycle were popular.
Dances, bingo, parties, buffet suppers,
movies and special U.S.O. shows were held regularly. Tea dances
at the Biltmore, Miramar and Coral Casino had returnees “Swingin’
the Blues” with Count Basie. (After all, “It Don’t
Mean a Thing If It Ain’t Got That Swing.”) The Biltmore
Theater saw a variety of big name radio comedians providing entertainment,
and sightseeing excursions to the Mission, local ranches and
mountains were offered. The artistically inclined could visit
the art museum or study the architecture of Old Town. And for
those who wanted to wet their whistles, several tap rooms at
the hotels and in town proffered “Rum and Coca Cola”
along with the music of the Andrews sisters.
After several weeks, the returnees were
reprocessed, refreshed and reclassified and it was “Anchor’s
Away” for the Pacific Theater. As wives rode home on eastbound
trains, Tommy Dorsey’s “I’ll Be Seeing You”
lingered in their minds and hearts.
Located adjacent
to the Vista Mar Monte Hotel, the Carillio Pavillion served as
the inprocessing point for the Santa Barbara Army Ground and
Service Forces Redistribution Center
Site Maps
Extract, War
Department Inventory of Owned, Sponsored and Leased Facilities,
1945
Training Area
Capacity:
Enlisted:
Permanent:
761
Mobilization:
Theater of Operations: 396
Hutments:
Tents:
Total:
Officers: 263
Station Hospital:
Acreage
Owned:
Leases:
36 acres (27 leases)
Total:
36 acres
Storage:
Covered: 17,251
sq ft
Open:
Cost to Government Since 1 July 1940:
Annual lease payments: $3,463.00
Land:
Construction:
$328,921.00
Total (less annual leases): $328,921.00
Remarks:
Army Units
Stationed at the Santa Barbara Army Ground and Service Forces
Redistribution Center
Reference
Date
Units
Army Station
List
7 April 1945
Army Service Forces:
360th Army Service Forces Band
1916th Service Command Unit
(Army Ground and Service Forces Redistribution Center)
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