In 1993, Casa del Herrero became a nonprofit organization, thanks in part to Founding Trustee George Steedman Bass. George remains dedicated to the Casa and is proud of his family’s legacy in the community. Recently, George was kind enough to share some anecdotes about the Casa, memories of his grandparents, and the passion he will always have for Montecito’s only National Historic Landmark.

CDH: Why was it important for you to give Casa del Herrero to the community?

George: My grandfather, George Fox Steedman, was an amazing person. He had energy, vision, and a love of quality. He was innovative and a talented artist. I believe he was a genius. There are so many important aspects of the estate worth saving – the Spanish antique furniture, Spanish ceiling, and Moorish tiles. Also, the innovatively designed book tower, workshop with its amazing tools and exquisite equipment, and wine cellar. My grandfather took up silversmithing toward the end of his life, and the Casa is fortunate to have several pieces by his hand including bowls and large vases.

CDH: What was your biggest challenge during the process?

George: My mother died very quickly from cancer, but before she did, she set a clear vision for the future of the estate. My sister and I began the process of giving the Casa to the community, but it was very complex. It was challenging to get all of the family members on the same page, but we did, and today I am proud that we were able to create a nonprofit organization and that the estate has become a National Historic Landmark.

CDH: Can you share a few childhood memories of your time at the Casa?

George: I remember camping for one week in the small forest area in the south acreage with my brother, Tom. My grandfather had the staff set up beds with each leg in a small can of water so that the ants would not bother us while we slept. I can also recall my grandmother asking the driver, Clarence, to take Tom and me for rides in the silver-grey Buick with the convertible top down. We all enjoyed Fiesta, and I can still recollect the fire engines, music, and groups of horses. I loved to see the gentlemen and women mounted on antique silver saddles wearing their old Spanish finery. It was a wonderful parade.

CDH: What were your grandparents like?

George: I feel that my grandparents were very polite, and were always dressed in nice clothing. My grandfather wore a bow tie every day. I loved the Casa, but I had to be careful of my clothes, my manners, and my politeness toward other people. During the Great Depression, my grandfather would provide work for men on the estate, and my grandparents were both very generous. Obviously, when I was young, I didn’t know about this generosity. My grandparents were busy – my grandfather in his shop, and my grandmother with her flowers. They were very friendly people.

CDH: What is your favorite thing about the Casa?

George: I loved the personal elevator!

Channing Peake was a renowned California artist whose career was celebrated internationally. What few realize, however, is that Peake worked as an apprentice at Casa del Herrero from 1933-34. While only at the estate for a year, he left an indelible mark on the aesthetic. Peake’s important artistic contribution will be celebrated in the upcoming exhibition Channing Peake at Casa del Herrero and Highlights from the Santa Barbara County Collection on view at the Channing Peak Gallery in Santa Barbara. Coinciding with the gallery’s 30th anniversary, the exhibition will provide insight into the special nature of the internship and its influence on Peake throughout his artistic career.

“We are thrilled to collaborate on this exhibition and showcase Channing Peake’s work – it will be particularly meaningful as we commemorate the 30th anniversary of the dedication of the gallery,” said Santa Barbara County Office of Arts and Culture Curator and exhibition co-curator Julia Rutherford Daly.

Channing Peake is credited with painting many images on the interior of the historic George Washington Smith house including the frieze in the book tower, panels in the first floor bathroom, a niche in the living room, and panels in the foyer. The exhibition will include photographs of the architectural paintings Peake completed during his brief year at the Casa in addition to original drawings never before available for public viewing. Peake’s work from the County Arts Commission’s permanent collection will also be displayed as an important component of the exhibition. Representing a span of 40 years, this body of work offers incredible insight into the range of materials the artist employed from the 1940s to the 1980s.

“As the viewer will see, the Casa images are whimsical – painted to reflect the artistic temperament of the original owner, George Fox Steedman,” said Casa Executive Director and exhibition co-curator Jessica Tade. “This exhibition highlights the uniqueness of the Casa internship while showing its role on Channing Peake’s artistic aesthetic later in life.”

Eager to study mural painting, Peake left Casa del Herrero for Mexico where he worked with the renowned muralist Diego Rivera. He would later describe his experience working with George Fox Steedman at the Casa by saying, “He was a silversmith, a retired wealthy man from St. Louis and he needed somebody to translate Gothic designs that he liked very much so that he could work in silver in them. That was an interesting experience in many ways. I mean it was really…a great education.”

Channing Peake at Casa del Herrero and Highlights from the County Collection will be on view at the Channing Peake Gallery located at 105 E. Anapamu Street from March 4 to September 2019.

Longtime educator Dan Eidelson moved with his wife from Orange County to Montecito in the 1980s so that they could be close to their son and his family. Dan first learned about Casa del Herrero from his wife, who had visited the grounds as part of a private tour through an extension class she was taking at UC Santa Barbara. She spoke so enthusiastically about what she had seen, that Dan was intrigued. A chance meeting with George Bass, the Casa’s founding trustee, led to a friendship and devotion to the Casa that has now lasted more than 30 years. “When I think about my life in Montecito, Casa del Herrero is the focal point,” said Dan. “There was a period of time that I was completely devoted to the property, and as a result, the significance of the estate will always be important to me.”

George Bass was the steward of his mother’s final wish to make Casa del Herrero a public charity. During this transition period in the 1990s, Dan decided to give his all to the project, becoming a member of the Casa’s first Advisory Committee where he worked with a small group of dedicated individuals. He devoted up to five days a week meeting with residents, going to meetings, and talking to the planning commission – all in the hope of giving the Casa to the community. “I have such great admiration for George Bass,” said Dan. “He is a thoughtful, generous person. He was very sensitive during the transition process, and was deeply concerned about the impact on residents. He was flexible, and really listened, which resulted in the preservation of a great monument in our community.”

Dan has spent much time at the estate, working in the gardens, leading tours, serving as a board member for many years, and now lending his expertise as a member on the Buildings and Grounds Committee. His love of mechanical things drove Dan’s interest in and concern for the wellbeing of the Casa’s Pump House, which he has devoted many hours to preserving. Dan has given his time again and again, all in the hope of maintaining the Casa in perpetuity. “There is something very special about this property,” said Dan. “I don’t know what it is, but I do know I will always love it.”

Lynda Millner had been working as a tour guide at the Santa Barbara Zoo for three years when she found out that the organization would soon discontinue its tour services. Fortunately, a friend had recently told her about a charming destination hidden in the hills of Montecito – Casa del Herrero.

Needless to say, Lynda fell in love with the Casa after her first visit, and has spent the past 17 years serving as a diligent and dedicated docent. “Working as a docent is my way of giving back to the community,” said Lynda. “I’ve always loved being a tour guide.”

When asked what she finds special about the Casa, Lynda said “It’s amazing! First of all, there aren’t really any houses to speak of that you can go through in Santa Barbara. What is special to me, besides the property, is that we still have all of the Steedmans’ things – all of their furniture, linens, and silverware. It feels like a home to me, and I think people recognize that.”

While visitors expect to learn more about the Spanish Colonial Revival architecture, the fifteenth and sixteenth-century fine art collection, and the gardens, they are also given a new perspective of the Casa through Steedman family stories. “I love telling stories about the Steedman family,” said Lynda. Whether sharing anything from why the Steedmans’ brought chickens onto the property (though they no longer remain) to how George Fox Steedman educated his young boys on the important matter of camping (moving their beds to the bottom of the garden for a night), Lynda has a story to share with her tour.

“I love that there are still family members on the Casa Board of Trustees who can tell us stories about their childhoods,” said Lynda. “I’ve always enjoyed being a tour guide, and will continue to love the stories I get to tell people here.”

Recently moving to Santa Barbara from Los Angeles, Travis Kranz has established a deep connection to her new home. She was drawn to Santa Barbara for its reputation as a kinder, gentler place, and has enjoyed connecting to her family roots in the area. Her passion for art and interest in Spanish Colonial Revival architecture provided an instant connection to Casa del Herrero, and was the catalyst for her appointment as the Casa’s newest board member. “I was introduced to the Casa by friends, and immediately connected to the warmth and special quality of this place,” said Travis. “When you visit the estate, you feel very welcomed into the Steedman family’s life and personal history.”

Travis is driven by a desire to make an impact in the world of historical preservation. She is specifically attracted to the role education plays in preservation, an interest that has grown out of her time spent as an art history professor. During her time as an educator, she took remarkable care to connect with her students, and to share the power of art as a tool for storytelling. “During my career, it was important for me to connect to my students on a human level,” said Travis. “I am particularly proud of a moment I witnessed between two students in a Pre-Colonial Colombian Art course I was teaching at Pasadena City College. A Latina student defended the difficulty of my assigned reading material to another student because she did not want the teaching of the art of her ancestors watered down but rather taught with the same academic rigor as any European art class.”

Casa del Herrero is steeped in cultural heritage, which is seen in both the George Washington Smith designed house and the collection of fifteenth and sixteenth-century art objects from Spain. Travis is looking forward to acquiring a deeper appreciation of the art objects at the Casa as she learns more about the unique collection. “The Casa has some very interesting pieces in its art collection,” said Travis. “I am looking forward to learning about these in more detail as I further my education on the museum.”

As Travis and her husband Tom continue on this latest chapter in their lives, they remain excited for the adventures to come in their new community. And for Travis, as the newest Casa trustee, this includes pursuing education and preservation with great hope for the Casa’s future. “I grew up in a Spanish Colonial style home in Bel-Air, and have great memories visiting Santa Barbara with my family,” said Travis. “My career has led me to the importance of historical preservation, and now at this time in my life, the Casa is just a natural fit for me.”

After just a week in their new Montecito home, Carolyn Williams and her husband Bob hosted their first out-of-town guests. Wanting to be good hosts, Carolyn asked her new next door neighbor what she might do to make the stay enjoyable. Without hesitating, the neighbor directed Carolyn to visit Casa del Herrero. Carolyn booked a tour, and was completely enchanted with the Casa on her visit. Now, five years later, Carolyn is a dedicated docent and volunteer. “I have an interest in history, and immediately found the Casa intriguing,” said Carolyn. “I became a volunteer docent because I wanted to share the Casa’s history with visitors while also finding a way to give back.”

Carolyn thrives on discovering meaningful ways to engage with her community, and is most often drawn to cultural organizations that fulfill her passion for understanding history and creative expression. Part of this stems from spending much of her professional career working as a middle school and high school language arts teacher where she loved communicating new ideas to students. “I have always enjoyed taking something I find exciting and translating it into knowledge I can pass on to others,” said Carolyn. “My background as an educator absolutely informs my passion for and interest in Casa del Herrero.”

And with Casa del Herrero, there is much to be passionate about. From being one of the finest examples of Spanish Colonial Revival architecture in America to the Moorish-style gardens to the extensive collection of fifteenth and sixteenth-century fine and decorative art objects, the Casa truly has something of interest for every visitor. “I continue to be intrigued by the fact that the house museum in many ways is essentially unchanged from the time of its original owners,” said Carolyn. “It is amazing to stand in the house and see all of the original furnishings or walk through the garden and see so much of the original intent still intact.”

Carolyn and her husband Bob (who has served on the Casa board for five years) have moved several times in their 48 years together, and are now happy to call Montecito home. For Carolyn, the Casa feels like an extension of this sentiment as she is so completely drawn to its mission and the creative inspiration she gets from being at the estate. “For me, the Casa is a place where I can use my skills as a teacher while keeping my passion for art and culture ignited,” said Carolyn. “There is so much to engage with from the George Washington Smith connection to the antiquities and medieval art objects to the original owners’ family history. All of this together just seemed like a good fit for me. Even after five years, I continue to find new details and new things to discover. It just gets better and better.”