Architect George Washington Smith started the Spanish Colonial Revival style 100 years back. Smith left Harvard to work in bond trading, and later planned to retire to Santa Barbara. The house he built was praised, prompting him to continue designing for the city. Smith used top quality materials and mixed the old with the new. His designs are still acclaimed nowadays for their simplicity and artistry. Numerous new artists followed his lead, and he is a Santa Barbara founding father. It takes a detail oriented eye to create such amazing pieces, Kenny Slaught noted.