Casa del Herrero will reopen to the general public on Wednesday, September 9, 2020. Closed since mid-March due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Casa is ready to safely welcome tour guests back to the estate. While indoor spaces remain closed, guests will now engage in a reimagined self-guided garden tour.
“The Casa’s original owner, George Fox Steedman, worked very closely with renowned landscape architects on the garden designs. Today, the Casa maintains National Historic Landmark status in part due to these unique spaces,” said Executive Director Jessica Tade. “I am grateful that we are able to reopen so that we can once again share our special gardens with the community.”
When visitors come to Casa del Herrero, or the “House of the Blacksmith,” they are transported back to Montecito in the 1920s and 1930s – the heyday of the original owner George Fox Steedman. Designed by George Washington Smith, the Casa is one of the finest examples of Spanish revival architecture in America. It is included on the National Register of Historic Places, and maintains National Historic Landmark status in part due to its eclectic mix of Country Place Era and Moorish-inspired gardens created by Ralph Stevens, Lockwood de Forest, and Francis T. Underhill.