$750,000 Federal Grant Awarded to California Missions Foundation for Preservation Work at Casa Del Herrero | Local News

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A major federal matching grant – one of the largest local preservation grants of its kind –will soon be making a big difference at Montecito’s historic Casa del Herrero.

The California Missions Foundation was awarded a massive $750,000 grant for this important National Historic Landmark property located in our local foothills. These grant funds were obtained by CMF through the Save America’s Treasures Grant Program administered by the National Parks Service at the Department of the Interior.

The matching grant will greatly enhance local fundraising efforts to enable Casa del Herrero to undergo preservation and conservation improvements to many aspects of this legendary historic treasure.

The work at Casa del Herrero will include needed repairs and strengthening of the many picturesque Moorish fountains that dot the Casa’s historic landscape. In addition, several of the structures that are found throughout the majestic property will also be preserved, and water damage to the main building’s exterior stucco will be addressed.

“This grant acknowledges Casa del Herrero as a vital asset to our community, one that truly deserves preservation,” said Heather Biles, president of Casa del Herrero’s Board of Trustees. “Thanks to the California Missions Foundation, this marks the largest single grant the Casa has ever received, and it carries the highest level of national recognition.”

For months, officials at Casa del Herrero and the statewide Santa Barbara-based California Missions Foundation worked collaboratively to identify project components to include in the detailed federal grant application. The grant application narrative was structured to highlight the historically significant aspects of the Casa, as well as the preservation needs for the project components.

In the end, an email was sent to California Missions Foundation informing the organization that it had been awarded the grant for the important preservation projects outlined at Casa del Herrero.

Casa del Herrero will benefit from a $750,000 grant for preservation work. Credit: Matt Walla photo courtesy of California Missions Foundation

The Casa del Herrero preservation project will be the seventh Save America’s Treasures grant that California Missions Foundation will administer. In previous years, CMF was awarded SAT grants for Missions Santa Barbara and Santa Inés which is an ongoing retrofit project.

“Casa del Herrero is an important and iconic National Historic Landmark and preserving these treasures for future generations is a high priority,” said CMF Executive Director David Bolton.

“This successful collaboration with the team at Casa del Herrero really shows the benefits when local, statewide, and national organizations come together to preserve our history.”

The Save America’s Treasures grant program began 25 years ago and has awarded more than $405 million for 1,400 projects ranging from Baptist churches to Jewish synagogues, from California Missions to U.S. Civil War sites.

This year, a total of $25.7 million was granted to fund 59 projects that will preserve nationally significant sites and historic collections in 26 states and the District of Columbia. The $750,000 award to CMF for Casa del Herrero was the only preservation grant awarded for a California location through this competitive national program.

“The Save America’s Treasures program continues to enable communities across the United States to preserve and conserve their nationally significant historic properties and collections,” said National Park Service Director Chuck Sams. “It’s fitting to celebrate this milestone anniversary through a wide range of projects that help to pass the full history of America and its people down to future generations.”

The Casa del Herrero Historic Landmark was once the private estate of industrialists and philanthropist George Fox Steedman. Designed and built by leading Spanish revival architect George Washington Smith in 1925, this estate consists of multiple buildings, Spanish and Moorish tile fountains, and a rich European garden landscape.

Visible cracking on the exterior walls and water damage poses serious threats to the integrity of the Casa buildings. Projects at Casa del Herrero that were made possible through this major funding include one of the estate’s most striking features — its intricate network of tiled fountains.

These ten fountains adorn the gardens and embody the sparing use of water characteristic of Andalusian landscapes. They are in various states of disrepair, and urgent conservation is needed to preserve the unique Alcora and Andalusian figurative motifs, as well as the Cuerda Seca and Cuenca tilework.

These tiles, primarily dating from the 1920s, are of Spanish and Tunisian origin, with many sourced from the prestigious Les Fils de J. Chemla factory. Some of the older tiles even date back to the 17th and 18th centuries, making their preservation essential for maintaining the historical integrity of the site.

In addition, the preservation of the Casa’s historic Glass House, Lath House, and Tool Shed will help to protect and restore the unique flora of California, which is crucial for maintaining ecosystem health and supporting native wildlife. These projects covered with the SAT grant were identified in Casa’s ongoing Capital Campaign “Preserving Our Past, Protecting Our Future.”

“As a matching federal grant, equal local funding is required to be raised for the project to move forward,” added Ms. Biles. “We will continue to reach out to the local community to be able to take full advantage of this federal grant.”

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