|
In the March-April 2012 issue of Lighthouse Digest, we brought you a story entitled “A Slice of Lighthouse Please!” The article was about a pizza restaurant located by the beach in Santa Barbara, California with an extensive collection of lighthouse artifacts and memorabilia which included a life-size faux lighthouse tower and lantern.
Since then, Rusty’s Pizza had to close that location at the beginning of January, 2014 in preparation for the city’s bridge replacement project that would require the physical loss of part of the building. While that was a leased location for the regional pizza chain, the family-owned business wanted to buy a replacement property in the same area.
Fast-forward to the summer of 2016 and a new Rusty’s Pizza restaurant opened within walking distance of the old location. It has a larger space for a better display of their lighthouse-related collection, and it allows the owners to put more of it on public view. In November of 2016, it was announced that the Bluewater Grill chain will open a new restaurant in Rusty’s old location in the summer of 2017, with a new building attached to the still existing lighthouse tower. Plans have not yet been finalized as to how they will use the local landmark light.
| 