Casa del Herrero Holiday Soirée with a Capital Announcement

The much looked forward to Casa del Herrero “Home for the Holidays”evening was held at the organization’s rare jewel outdoor area – its Spanish Patio and Blue and White Garden off the formal living room – on Saturday, December 9. The 150 guests were treated to the blissful Spanish guitar of Chris Fossek, while they were served famously fabulous champagne, wines, canapés, desserts, and the curated cocktail called Spanish Tile Spritz – vodka, club soda, ginger, cranberry juice, and orange juice.

The evening featured a tribute to Meghan Stoll for her years of generous support and leadership. Stoll served as past president and member of the Board of Trustees. 

Board of Trustees President Heather Biles honored Stoll in her event speech and presented her with a wonderful bronze statue. Biles stated, “One of the Casa’s loveliest traditions of this annual holiday celebration is to recognize an individual in our community for their exemplary support of the Casa del Herrero. Tonight, we honor Meghan Stoll, for her incredible generosity, leadership, and enthusiastic support of the Casa. Meghan has had her hands in every part of the Casa, as a volunteer, as a committee member, serving as Vice President, Board President, and board member for six years. Meghan has tirelessly recruited friends and family to get involved at the Casa. In fact, many of the guests in attendance are here as a result of Meghan’s encouragement! We are so grateful to Meghan for all that she has done and continues to do for Casa del Herrero.”

Stoll was indeed humbled and talked about the importance of Casa del Herrero, its relationship in architecture to the Hearst Castle, and its place as Montecito’s only National Historic Landmark to date, saying: “It has been my pleasure volunteering and serving on the Board of Trustees to respect the multitude of artists, architects, and landscapers that have contributed to this historical landmark. Casa del Herrero allows us to step back in time and truly appreciate George Fox Steedman’s ideas come to fruition! His vision of a beautiful home creates connection to this community’s history and culture.” 

Biles then shared about the current roof restoration project, and officially announced the launch of their first ever capital campaign, titled: Preserving our Past, Protecting our Future. Palmer Jr. and Susan Jackson are co-chairs of the Campaign Committee, and their granting organization, the Ann Jackson Family Foundation, is making the lead gift. 

Palmer Jr. shared, “When I met Gary [Bradhering] and heard about the campaign, Susan and I were excited to help, and we are happy to make a significant lead gift for the campaign.”

In closing, Biles stated, “I want to honor the memory of George Steedman Bass; he passed several weeks ago after a long life and continuous devotion to Casa del Herrero. George was the grandson of George Fox Steedman, the man who built the Casa and he helped create the foundation to preserve the Casa and ensure that it remained open to the public. His gift to the Endowment has helped support Casa for all these years and will be valued for decades to come. I think we can all agree that we are fortunate to live in a place where philanthropy supports history, preservation, and education. I want to end this talk with a note of goodwill and thanks to all of you for coming tonight and for your continued support of Casa del Herrero.” 

With many cheers and toasts, the guests returned to mingle and catch up with friends.

Trustees at the holiday soirée with Biles were Gary Bradhering with partner Sheraton Kalouria, Karen Jones Clark and Stephen Clark, Beth Esrey with husband Bill, Marc Gelinas, Albert Hinckley, Janet McCann, Mari McAlister with husband Patrick, Elizabeth McGovern, Fran Morrow, and Carolyn Williams with husband Bob. From the Ann Jackson Family Foundation were Joan Jackson, Jim Jackson with wife Chana, and their cousin Debbie Jones. Event sponsors and guests included Thomas Lewis and Alexa Kadish, Janet McCann, Fran Morrow, Rooms & Gardens by Jami Voulgaris, Bob and Val Montgomery, Amy and Michael Mayfield, Northern Trust – Monica Safapour, Appleton Partners, Travis and Tom Kranz, and Maureen McDermut and Associates.

411: www.casadelherrero.com
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