The vacant building which once housed Pea Soup Andersen’s in the Santa Ynez Valley is set to be demolished.
The iconic former roadside restaurant chain, which has since shuttered all but one location in Santa Nella, was renowned for its famous split pea soup.
The building that housed the restaurant, located off the 101 Freeway in Buellton, still bears the iconic signage and stained-glass windows.
The Buellton City Council unanimously voted Thursday to strip the building of its historic landmark protections, ensuring its demolition, the Santa Barbara News-Press reports.
A section of the building that was once the Bueltmore Hotel remains protected. Built in the 1920s, this portion of the building could also be slated for demolition at a future date or repurposed for another project, according to the Santa Barbara News-Press.
Anton and Juliette Andersen opened the restaurant under the name Andersen’s Electric Cafe shortly after electricity was brought to the Santa Ynez Valley in 1924. Although Anton was a professionally trained chef, it was his wife, Juliette’s, split pea soup that brought about the name change to Pea Soup Andersen’s. In its heyday, the restaurant served millions of bowls of soup annually, SFGate reports.
However, the restaurant closed suddenly in January of 2024 after struggling in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Since the closure, the property has fallen into disrepair. The building is a frequent target for vandals, according to Buellton City Manager Scott Wolfe.
“We want to avoid a catastrophe there,” Wolfe is quoted saying during Thursday’s city council meeting. “We want to avoid either the building burning down and taking all of it with it, or someone being injured or being killed within the building.”
The property, previously owned by Milt Guggia Enterprises, was sold after it was listed for $4.7 million in August of 2020, the Santa Maria Times reported.
A demolition date has not been announced.
