Mr. Smith Builds His Dream House
George Washington Smith’s picturesque homes continue to define Santa Barbara’s unmistakable style.
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While the Jackling house in Woodside awaits the indignities of the wrecking ball (Jobs’ attorneys agreed last summer to delay the destruction of the house one year), Smith’s architectural legacy nevertheless remains safe and secure in Santa Barbara. His Casa del Herrero in Montecito, a graceful estate highlighted by exquisite wrought-iron details, has been converted into a museum, and the majority of the homes he created are cherished by their respective owners, who, like their predecessors, understand Smith’s unique contribution to the California architectural idiom.; function voidFunc() { } voidFunc();)
Originally built in 1928 as a carriage house, the Park Lane house ($5.83
million) is approached by a wood footbridge. The home has been completely
renovated. (Click image to enlarge)
“Architecture nowadays seems to shout louder, to posture more and to call a lot of attention to itself,” observes Appleton. “And that’s the stuff that garners the attention in the press. The reality is that here you have architecture by Smith that’s simple, quiet and harmonious. It’s the frame for life—not the picture. It accommodates our life in a wonderful way. People feel like they can occupy these houses and make them home, which is hard to do as an architect. Smith resisted the temptation to strut his stuff, and he created a body of work that is enduring and timeless because of its simplicity.”
Perhaps, in the end, Steve Jobs will resist the temptation as well.
