Customer Reviews

George Washington Smith: An Architect's Scrapbook

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This is truely is a must have book for anyone remotely interested in Santa Barbara architecture. Beautiful images and sketches of the historic work of George Washington Smith make up this coffee table treasure. Highly reccommended.

This is a fascinating book on a singular talent. It was so interesting to see images and articles, gathered from the era in which Mr. Smith practiced. The photos are wonderful and the text is highly informative. George Washington Smith was the foremost master of Spanish Colonial Revival architecture and this book honors him. I highly recommend it to anyone with any interest whatsoever in this style of architecure, you wont be disappointed, it is a long awaited tribute to one of the finest American residental architects of the 20th century.

George Washington Smith: An Architect's Scrapbook is an excellent resource book to own if you are an admirer of the classic and romantic Spanish Colonial Revival style of California architecture.

George Washington Smith was a highly sought after design talent in the 1920's and 30's, particularly in the quaint and coastal California communities of Montecito and Santa Barbara.

Having consulted on a large GW Smith renovation in Montecito, as well as having a design firm that caters to clients who are looking for this style and feel for their own Santa Barbara and Montecito homes... I can tell you that there are three (3) George Washington Smith books that are good to have, and for different reasons.

George Washington Smith: An Architect's Scrapbook is an important book, and one that is an overview of many of GW Smith's projects. There is an abundance of interior and exterior photos, as well as floor plans. The book focuses more on a collection of magazine articles, brochures and misc collected photographs of GW Smith work. One drawback is the book is printed in Black and White (except for the cover), so the lack of color photography sort of diminishes the breadth and scope of his talent.

George Washington Smith: Architect of the Spanish-Colonial Revival is another important book that I recommend. It celebrates GW Smith in a very orderly way and is well rounded in it's content. All of his major commissions are documented and numbered in a "Catalog of Works" at the back of the book and which guide the reader to rich content within the book. This book has a nice mix of color photography, sketches, renderings, and lots of info on the personality of George Washington Smith as well as his clients.

Casa Del Herrero: The Romance of Spanish Colonial is a newly released book that highlights Casa Del Herrero- a famous Spanish Colonial estate in Montecito that George Fox Steedman, an industrialist from St. Louis built with the help of George Washington Smith. Of the three books I have recommended, this book is the "coffee table" book of the three. 160+ pages of top notch color photography and lots of information regarding the collaboration with George Fox Steedman and George Washington Smith, creative genius.

Jeff Doubet
Design by Doubet
Santa Barbara, California

George Washington Smith, 1976-1930, was one of the most talented architects practicising in the Spanish Colonial Revival style and this book is a product of clippings from the remains of his own scapbook of published work. Aside from a brief introduction, there is no text except for that which originally accompanied the photos from 1920s magazines. All photos are only from the period. Although George Washington Smith was acclaimed during his lifetime in Southern California where his designs were built, magazines' shift of focus to other styles probably contributed to his lack of nation-wide recognition today. His surviving homes are now greatly prized and premium priced, however. This is a great resource for all interested in the Southern California Spanish Colonial Revival style.

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