Few of Montecito’s legendary estates remain essentially unchanged. The Casa del Herrero, designed by architect George Washington Smith and completed in 1925, is noted as one of the finest examples of Spanish Colonial Revival architecture in America, is included on the National Register of Historic Places, and in January 2009, was designated a National Historic Landmark by then Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne.
George Fox Steedman, an industrialist, engineer, and amateur architect, had a vision for the house and grounds that went beyond fashion, and he assembled an extraordinary team of architects, landscape architects, antiquarians, and horticulturists to produce the Casa del Herrero estate (House of the Blacksmith)—recognized today as a masterpiece of the Country Place era. His participation in every detail of the property’s buildings, furnishings, and gardens is the reason the estate makes a single artistic statement that is greater than the sum of its parts. Today the entire 11-acre site is owned and operated as a historic house museum and garden by the non-profit Casa del Herrero Foundation, with the goal of preserving the house and grounds, as well as the family’s collection of antiques, books, sketchbooks, drawings, and horticultural records.
Tours of the Casa del Herrero house, gardens and workshop are available by reservation.
Come and experience this gracious Montecito estate…
|
|
“Use well thy time.
Fast fly my hours.
Good work lives on.
The night brings rest.”
George Fox Steedman
Inscription on four sides of the sundial
|
|
Upcoming Events
-
October 2010
Harvest Moon Music Festival at Las Lilas
Saturday, October 23, 2010 3:30-7 PM.
-
December 2010
Christmas, Candlelight & Cocktails
Friday, December 3, 2010 5-8 pm.
For reservations, please call 805-565-5653.
Please click Here for an invitation
-
January 2012
Docent Training.
Classes begin January, 2012. Please call for details
Read all about it!
Our new book: Casa del Herrero, the Romance of Spanish Colonial by Robert H. Sweeney, photography by Matt Walla, will be available beginning November 9, 2009.
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.
Back in 2005 when the Board and then-Director Diane Galt identified the need for a book on the Casa, author Patricia Gebhard (George Washington Smith: Architect of the Spanish-Colonial Revival) provided us an introduction to author Robert Sweeney (Wright in Hollywood: Visions of a New Architecture) as a possibility for the project. Driven by the intriguing story of Steedman’s vision for the Casa. Robert’s research extended beyond the Casa walls; trips were made to Berkeley, St. Louis and New York to insure a thorough telling of the story.
Marc Appleton, architect and Casa friend (and current Trustee) joined the project and underwrote all photography expenses while providing the services of young and talented Matt Walla, who started photographing the Casa in the late fall of ’07. Countless hours went into deciding which photographs should be used and how they would mesh with the text. In fact, one such decision concluded with two answers: for the book cover shot, the Casa team chose a stunning picture of the house as viewed from the pepper tree fountain on the long axis of the garden, while the Rizzoli team preferred an interior image of the main staircase. So, there are two dust jackets available. The Casa has a limited edition, sold exclusively through the Casa, with the outdoor view and Rizzoli’s retail version, available through your local bookseller, sports the interior view.
Finally, there would be no book if not for the determination of George Bass, who created and endowed the Casa del Herrero Foundation, and the many dedicated Trustees and Volunteers who have given their time and expertise to nurture the Foundation.
The following individuals lent their financial support to make the book a reality:
Mr. and Mrs. Ernest A. Bryant; Arthur and Barbara Henzell; Palmer and Joan Jackson; Charles T. Knight; Harry and Karen Kolb; Chapin and Cynthia Nolen; NS Ceramics, A.J. and Valerie Rice and Mr. and Mrs. John H. Wise, Jr. Very sincere thanks to everyone who has made this lasting tribute to the Casa possible. It is something we are all very proud of.
Please click here for a book order form.
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 responding 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.
|
