$125000

WINTER SALE BEGINNING NOV 20TH 75K PER MONTH+ 10K UTILITIES (6 MONTH MIN) Nearly 2 acre gated 10,000 square foot historical George Washington Smith estate on a quiet Montecito lane offering 6 structures: the main Estate, 3 guests cottages with full bathrooms and one with full kitchen, a Chinese Tea house used as the meditation/yoga room and a ball room/lath house. The main Estate includes: 2 offices, theater room, loggia, billiards room, underground wine cellar, master suite with his and her bathrooms and closets. Grounds include pool, spa and regulation size tennis court outdoor fireplace with amazing gardens that include 100+ year old plantings and rare trees. Available for lease at $95K per month plus utilities for 3-6 months or more. Also available on a nightly and weekly rental rate/basis. Please contact for pricing on shorter termed leasing. This romantic, historic George Washington Smith gated private estate has it all! A luxurious compound with pool, spa, tennis court on a quiet lane in Montecito, a seaside village that has seduced moguls, magnates, and movie stars for over a hundred years. Minutes from Upper and Lower Village, Montecito's highly rated restaurants as well as Montecito's most secluded beaches. Ravenscroft pays homage to the grandeur of its natural setting with a timeless elegance that is truly captivating, for it is not only seen with the eye, but also felt with the heart. The Estate is located in one of the most prestigious areas , amongst the original large and old grand estates of its same historic pedigree, directly adjacent the 34 acre Lotus Land, providing a private and serene setting. It has been immaculately restored and renovated to meet the exacting needs of modern life while staying true to the purity of its renowned architect George Washington Smith (GWS). Smith is synonymous with classic Santa Barbara architecture and in 1922 he designed Ravenscroft, a magical and timeless work of art that has been held in high esteem and published often as a local architectural marvel. It is one of a handful, and arguably the most well preserved, of original classically designed Santa Barbara Estates still in existence. Within this classic Estate are sweeping lawns, colorful gardens, intimate outdoor terraces and majestic gates. The main residence is trimmed with elegant hand tooled wrought iron gates, doors and windows and provides 5 bedrooms and 5 1/2 baths. The 52 foot long grand living room was built at Peggy Ravenscroft's request, simulating a London stage, and is the heart of Ravenscroft, with a large roaring fireplace that Peggy's horse used to sit in front of, a baby grand piano and wrought iron/glass doors and windows that lead to the interior courtyard and feeds the master staircase, dining room, bedroom wing and library/office. In the office/library are a fireplace, desk and secret door with passage to the wine cellar with fireplace and tasting room. The tasting room has a full bed in front of the fireplace with view of the rock wine cellar. There is also a 52 foot long loggia/garden room with live vines that have grown over the ceiling and beams since the 1920's, along with original wrought iron/glass doors that were hand crafted on site during construction of Ravenscroft, and lead out into the garden, pool and tennis court area. In this garden room are a 50' flat screen, queen size pull out couch, fireplace and large dining area. The large and bright kitchen is one of the most magical places in Ravenscroft, with the original preserved GWS white tile, floor to ceiling, that is complimented with an updated butlers pantry that remains as it was originally built in the 1920's, a sitting area with fireplace, original wrought iron/glass windows and doors that lead to interior courtyards and all the modern conveniences such as La Cornue stove, Sub-Zero refrigerator and two dishwashers. The theater room includes professional theater seats for 9 and is a great place for the family or kids to enjoy. The 900 square feet guest house features a large and bright living room with pull out couch, 1 king bedroom, 2 full bathrooms and a fully equipped charming kitchen with the original architectural beams exposed coupled with wide Fench oak floors. The kitchen and bathrooms all have the original GWS white tiles, covering floor to ceiling, and original fixtures, doors and hardware. The cozy 'Abigail Cottage' is a restored charming small 1 BR/1BA guest cottage surrounded by fruit orchard, expansive lawns and hen house. The lath house is Peggy's tribute to Santa Barbara as this is where she was the first to sell orchids commercially in the area and is truly a magical place to enjoy. Next to the lath house is a Chinese tea house with the original blue green roof tiles currently used as a meditation/yoga room. The sparkling pool, spa and north/south tennis court complete the magnificent estate. The Billiards/Work out room offers 2 step machines, free weights, pool table, 55 inch TV and fireplace. There is also an exterior fireplace and ping pong table. Staying at Ravenscroft is like stepping back in time, into Santa Barbara's history and you can just imagine Charlie Chaplin, Cary Grant or Audrey Hepburn around the corner. There is no other property available like this one in Santa Barbara/Montecito. Lutah Maria Riggs drafted the architectural designs on behalf of GWS, for which copies were printed from original historical files in 1977 by Jack Warner and reside in the Estate. Ravenscroft has had 3 owners that have lived in the Estate and next year celebrates it's 100-year birthday:. Peggy Ravenscroft has a remarkable history, aristocrat, 3 times married and animal lover. She used to bring her beloved horse Jack into the living room to warm next to the large fireplace. She also commissioned Lutah Maria Riggs to design and build a roadside fountain on Sycamore Canyon Road. It's known as "Jack's Trough" and embellished with a plaque inscribed "Jack - to His Friends - 1926". The Santa Barbara City Council designated the fountain a landmark in 1983 for "its character, interest and value as a significant part of the heritage as well as its identification with persons contributed to its culture and development: Marguerite Ravenscroft, George Washing Smith and Lutah Maria Riggs". Peggy said Jack was buried on the property and the current owners know that location through odd discovery. Peggy is also known for having the first commercial grown orchids in Central California and the lath house that was used is still intact and preserved, along with the cash register office. Ravenscroft was host to many parties with her adjacent neighbors Ganna Walska (Opera Singer and owner of Lotus land) and heiress Lolita Armour (Armour Meat packing heir and owner of "El Mirador"). Virginia Cherrill was Peggy's best friend and co-starred in the 1930 Chaplin film classic "City Lights" and was married to Cary Grant in 1933. All of them were known to throw flamboyant parties at the Ravenscroft Estate. Available on a long term at $150K/month plus utilities for 3-6+ months, or short term basis. Also available on a nightly and weekly rental rate/basis. 10K per night for less than 3 months. . House rules: - No smoking inside - No pets without express written permission - No parties/events/weddings - No Illegal activity of any kind on the premises