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spr ing
|
summer
77
founded the Sansum Clinic). George was enchanted with the area and
bought seven acres in Montecito, later adding four more. He hired the
well-known architect George Washington Smith to draw up plans for
a grand summer home. Casa del Herrero, still on its original 11 acres,
was to become one of the finest examples of Spanish Colonial Revival
architecture in the United States; it was recently awarded the rare
recognition as a National Historic Landmark.
Casa del Herrero (“House of the Ironworker” or “Blacksmith” in
Spanish), was so named because the Steedman family owned a St. Louis
iron works, which made saws and pneumatic machinery. The Casa’s logo
is a whimsical centaur, which appears in many rooms of the house doing
different activities: drinking from a stein in the dining room; reading a
book in the children’s bedroom.
The Alhambra Influence
Steedman sailed to Spain in 1923, seeking to furnish the house
with Spanish antiques; Carrie stayed home with Medora, who
had whooping cough. Arthur Byne and his wife, Mildred, were
antiquarians living in Madrid and they accompanied Mr. Steedman
during his shopping tour. Among the things they purchased
encompassing Spain’s Golden Age were 13
th
through 19
th
century
chests, tables, chairs, iron
rejas
(grates), shutters for windows, 30
carved wooden doors, thousands of used and antique tiles (at 25
cents per tile), precious religious statues, tapestries, and paintings;
(right) The house of the blacksmith is also the house of antiques; all the
furnishings – lamps, chairs, curtains, and paintings – are original and remain as
the family had placed them
(below) The beautifully tiled service entrance includes a sink for flower arranging
or washing vegetables from the kitchen garden