A private, independent school on the South Coast has received a huge gift. Santa Barbara Middle School has been given an entire school campus.
The four decade old school received Jefferson Campus in Montecito from Ernie Brooks II. The private school had been leasing the campus for the last five years.
In 1976, Brooks bought the property, and turned it into a home for the Brooks Institute, his famed photography and visual arts school. It was home to the photography and visual arts school until 2011, when new owners moved the school it to Ventura. Brooks decided he wanted to keep the historic site used for education, at first leasing it to the private school, and now deeding the property to it.
The scenic campus with ocean views is valued at nearly eight million dollars.