Members only - twilight spring garden walk

Thursday, April 12, 2012  5 ~ 7 pm- You're invited to join us in welcoming in the season of renewal, when the gardens' life energy is most alive! Come enjoy the ambiance of the Casa del Herrero gardens on a lovely spring evening. Sip a glass of wine as you meet fellow members.Reservations are limited and are available by calling the Foundation office at 805-565-5653.  FREE/Members Only.

Read all about it!

Our exceptional book Casa del Herrero, the Romance of Spanish Colonial by Robert Sweeney, photography by Matt Walla, is available in bookstores near you!   Published by Rizzoli International, it is generously illustrated with historic pictures, drawings and contemporary photographs. Over four years in the making, the book has succeeded due to the good wishes and hard work of many in the Casa family.

Please click here for a book order form.

Click the Add to Cart button below to order online!

Santa Barbara's Newest National Historic Landmark...

Jan 16, 2009
Washington, D.C. - Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne today announced the designation of nine new National Historic Landmarks in recognition of their importance in interpreting the heritage and history of the United States. The landmarks are located in Connecticut, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, California, Florida, Illinois, Colorado, Wisconsin and Arizona.
“The historical and cultural developments reflected by these new National Historic Landmarks is tremendous,” Kempthorne said.

Steedman Estate (Casa del Herrero), Montecito, CA, is considered one of the most fully developed and intact examples of America’s Country Place Era that took form and flourished on the West Coast in the early 20th century. The estate features the landscape design of Ralph K. Stevens, Lockwood de Forest, Jr., and Francis T. Underhill and the architecture of George Washington Smith and other West Coast designers under the direction of the owner, George Steedman, who was a collector of antiquities and an amateur silversmith. The estate represents a remarkable fusion of landscape design, architecture, horticulture, and interior design, reflecting the influence of the antiquities, architecture, and gardens of Mediterranean Europe, particularly the region of Andalusia in southern Spain, and resonding to the splendid climate, ideal growing conditions, Hispanic roots, and scenic beauty of the Southern California landscape. The estate represents the synthesis of what would become a nationally recognized California Style of landscape design and an important stage in the evolution of Spanish Colonial Revival domestic design in the United States.