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The following conversation took place via telephone from Sergey’s
Moscow home.
Q.
How did you find Montecito in the first place? It’s a long way from
Moscow.
A.
It
is
a long way from Moscow. I discovered it [ten years ago] when
I was with my friend in Los Angeles and we decided to take a trip one
weekend to Santa Barbara, because everybody in the world knows Santa
Barbara. We exited at San Ysidro Road. It was a beautiful day and we fell in
love with just everything: the little stores, streets, trees, everything that kind
of creates Montecito’s unique environment. I felt welcomed by the people,
by store owners, and just seeing people smiling and being happy. You don’t
see this a lot in Moscow. That was very welcoming and I felt that if I were
to become a resident I would feel just exactly as they were.
There was one house above San Ysidro Ranch that was for sale, so I
decided to go ahead and buy a place there. That’s how I ended up in
Montecito. It’s a great place.
Besides Val Verde and El Fureidis, are there other estates in Montecito that
you’ve purchased since then?
For me, it was more a passion for [Bertram] Goodhue, the architect that
designed those two places. I do have another residence that is next to El
Fureidis that is my private residence. It doesn’t have a historic [pedigree]
but it is very beautiful and I call this place home.
How did you learn that Val Verde was in bankruptcy?
It was public record and I had a real estate agent – Omid Khaki – who
worked with me throughout the proceedings. If you keep your eyes open
you can find many things that sometimes come up for sale.
Why did you sell Val Verde – whose house and gardens are designated
landmarks – so soon after purchasing it?
When Val Verde was first acquired, it was acquired with a total of 17.8
acres, so it’s a large piece of land mainly [arrayed along] Montecito Creek.
Unfortunately – and I say unfortunately because I love Val Verde and I
love El Fureidis – at one point we had to sell Val Verde. The reason is that
when we started pre-construction, just seeing the condition of the house,
it required a lot of time and being an historical place, it would probably
mean years and years of renovation. You cannot fix something in a short
period of time. So, El Fureidis became available. The house had a lot
more potential [for me and my family] and as a matter of fact, is adjacent
26
winter
|
spr ing
M
One of the crowning
achievements of El Fureidis
is the series of Turkish
pools that served to
connect the main house
at the top with the casino
below, a feature that was
constructed in 1903; the
house was built nearly two
years later, in 1905. El
Fureidis, although formal
and elegant, boasts many
soft features, such as this
shingle-roofed artesian-
style well.