GEORGE WASHINGTON SMITH 1876–1930
THE SPANISH COLONIAL REVIVAL IN CALIFORNIA
David Gebhard
David Gebhard [introduction and design]: GEORGE WASHINGTON SMITH 1876–1930: THE SPANISH COLONIAL REVIVAL IN CALIFORNIA. Santa Barbara: The Art Galleries, University of California, Santa Barbara, 1964. First edition. Square quarto. Glossy printed wrappers. [66] pp. Fully illustrated with black-and-white photographs and floor plans. TLS laid in. Interior unmarked and clean. Out-of-print. Glossy wrappers lightly worn, but a very good or better copy.
Laid in is a Typed Letter Signed by David Gebhard on UCSB letterhead with penciled additions. Dated November 17, 1964 the letter asks for peer review of the catalog and throws some shade on Alan Temko.
8 x 8 soft cover unpaginated [66 pages] book profusely illustrated with black-and-white photographs and floor plans. Published in conjunction with an exhibition of the same name: The Art Gallery—University of California, Santa Barbara [ Nov 17–Dec 20, 1964]. Includes a list of major projects and buildings.
From the non-profit website for the George Washington Smith Society: Mr. Smith’s architectural career was a short but prolific one, extending from about 1918 until his untimely death in 1930 at the age of only 54. From among the approximately 116 designed projects within Mr. Smith’s small office, 86 of these projects were actually constructed. Our local Santa Barbara area is privileged to have 58 personal residences designed by this very special architect along with at least eight significant public buildings including remodeling segments or complete design and construction of the Montecito Country Club Building, The Lobero Theatre, Daily News Building (News-Press), Meridian Studios, Little Town Club, Santa Barbara Chapel and Crematorium, La Cumbre Golf and Country Club Building, and the Valley Club Building.
David S. Gebhard (1927 – 1996) was a leading architectural historian, particularly known for his books on the architecture and architects of California. He was a long-time faculty member at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and was dedicated to the preservation of Santa Barbara architecture.
Gebhard was born and raised in Minnesota; he received his Ph.D. at the University of Minnesota in 1958. He served, for six years, as director of the Roswell Museum and Art Center in New Mexico, before moving to UC Santa Barbara in 1961. As a teacher he inspired many students at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. In addition to his long teaching career, he served as director of the University Art Museum for twenty years, building a small gallery into a significant accredited university museum. In this position, he initiated the Architectural Drawings Collection, now one of the leading West Coast repositories for architectural materials. With Robert Winter he co-authored guides to architecture in northern and southern California.
Gebhard was also active in service to his community, serving for many years on the Santa Barbara County Architectural Board of Review. He was active in the Society of Architectural Historians, and served a term as its president in the 1980s.
The David Gebhard Memorial Lecture Series is an annual event sponsored by Pasadena Heritage, an architectural preservation organization in Pasadena, California. [Wikipedia]