Reprinted with permission from Montecito Magazine

Few of Montecito's fabled estates reflect so clearly the combined interests and talents of an owner and his chosen architect. Even fewer remain essentially unchanged, and many have suffered almost fatal alterations. Rarest of all is Casa del Herrero which, for the entire 70 years of its existence, has been in the hands of the original family - a record in Montecito.

	George Fox Steedman
Carrie Steedman

George Fox Steedman (pronounced Sted'-man) was far from the simple "blacksmith" he modestly incorporated into the estate name. He was, in fact, a true Renaissance man, equally talented in business and the arts. Creative and inventive, he combined an engineer's common sense with an artist's sensibility.

Based in St. Louis, George's father - a doctor who liked to dabble in business investments - bought controlling interest in a machine shop, and young George found himself operating the firm with his two brothers. Known as the Curtis Company, it was a foundry and manufacturing firm specializing in saws, air compressors and pneumatic equipment. George Steedman immersed himself in the world of machines, studying every aspect of their design, production and interaction.

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