Gillespie’s father had died when James was only two years old.
Clearly at a loss for what to do with her eccentric progeny, his mother
Harriet sent him to North Granville Military Academy in upstate New
York. Upon reaching his majority in 1886, Gillespie bought a 250-
acre farm with a 19-room brick home in Middle Granville and treated
himself to a grand tour of the world.
According to a self-description for a 1896 passport application,
Gillespie stood five feet six inches, had dark blue (apparently beady)
eyes, and dark-brown hair. He listed his forehead as high, his nose as
large, his chin as firm, and his occupation as “gentleman of leisure.”
Had there been a space to list his sense of humor, he would have
answered “wicked.”
CREATING PARADISE
G
illespie’s world travels included Mexico and Cuba. He became
fluent in Spanish and purchased an estate in Mariel, Cuba,
before turning his attention to California.
It’s possible that he ended up in Santa Barbara based on the
glowing reports of his cousin, Kitty Anderson, daughter of Captain
Absalom Anderson, who had retired from the Hudson River trade and
purchased property in Montecito in 1884.
His mind filled with the exotic wonders he had seen on his many
trips abroad, Gillespie set about creating a Santa Barbara estate that
reflected the enchantments of the old world. To help make his vision
manifest, he hired Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue, of the New York
design firm of Cram, Goodhue, and Ferguson. Known for their work on
ecclesiastical and civic projects in the Neo-Gothic style, their work was
sufficiently grand for what Gillespie had in mind for his Montecito estate.
MOGULS
&
MANSIONS
(above)
The south façade during construction shows the window split by a column that Gillespie proved was truly a feature used in classical architecture (Estate photo)
(below)
Gillespie’s cousin, Sara Anderson Bates, strikes a dramatic pose against the curved backdrop of the pool. Young palm trees and other new plantings can be seen
in the background. When completed, the pool grew a pergola and was cloistered by landscaping. (SBHM)
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summer
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