Marsha Kotlyar Estate Group  |  License #01426886  |  805-565-4014

Architectural Garden Estate

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838 Knapp Drive property

838 Knapp Drive

offered at $22,500,000

4 Bedrooms + 1 Bedroom + 1 Bathroom Guest Cottage

4.5 Bathrooms

Approx. 8,373 Sq.Ft.

Approx. 3.92 Acres + .32 Acre Landscape Easement Acres

A legacy property like no other, this ultra private Montecito estate is the epitome of grace and grandeur. Commanding over 4 acres of the Arcady Estates, tucked under mature eucalyptus and architectural oak trees, there are magnificent mountain views from the crest of the hill, setting a romantic backdrop for this breathtaking estate.

Considered one of the most picturesque estates on the West Coast, the original Arcady Estate of the early 1900s was known for its famous pools and gardens. Prior to becoming 838 Knapp Drive, this residence once played host to a breathtaking music pavilion and ballroom. Situated in a historic neighborhood frequented by global dignitaries and socialites alike, this illustrious property speaks for itself.

In its belle epoque prime, Arcady Estate was the 148-acre estate of industrialist George Owen Knapp, Founder of Union Carbide. Designed by Ralph Radcliffe Whitehead in 1895, its other structures were later expanded by E. Russell Ray in 1911.

Here you will discover a fairytale where numerous 200-year-old oaks overlook the Santa Ynez Mountains, sharing glimpses of the Pacific. Stone columns, balustrades, and walls invite Italianette spirit as the dreamy gardens unfold throughout its approximately 4 sprawling acres, complete with secret gardens, fountains, stone walls, mature specimen plantings, a sunken garden lawn, stone terraces, a bocce court, putting green, and accents that are original to the former estate.

This Neoclassical home pulled inspiration from the Italian Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio. The Palladian details pair beautifully with modern design as symmetry reigns across the property. The emphasis on balance in accordance with a peaceful and calm existence is evident throughout the property.

Most recently renovated by Warner Group Architects, a renowned local architecture firm that has been recognized four times in Architectural Digest’s AD 100 World’s Top Architects and Interior Designers as well as Robb Report’s Top 30 Architecture Firms, this estate combines classical formal elements with visual harmony that transformed the former music pavilion into a home truly worthy of its setting.

A sense of lightness is pervasive as sun streams in through large metal windows, doors, and soaring 20+ foot ceilings. This estate features luxurious finishes such as imported Brasilia Italian marble, Lutron lighting, and Zuber mural wallpaper. Filled with elegance, this home boasts intimacy, symmetry, and proportion.

Designer touches from highly acclaimed, AD 100 Top Designer Ann Holden guide guests room to room, forging character with architectural details for a highly cohesive aesthetic.

Explore two en suite bedrooms on each wing of the first floor, including the lavish primary suite with its own sunlit office. Travel downstairs to enjoy an entertainer’s paradise in the airy great room and two additional spacious guest suites.

This estate also features a separate, newly renovated guest cottage, Roman style pool with spa, a rare lighted tennis court, full house generator, chicken coop, and two separate 2-car garages. Behold a masterpiece garden property where numerous European features offer the sophisticated, yet effortless character only seen in an older estate.


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Get to Know the Neighborhood

Montecito

 

Montecito is located mere moments from downtown Santa Barbara, Montecito real estate is one of California’s most esteemed coastal neighborhoods. Its distinguished residents find the community quaint, quiet, and overwhelmingly beautiful. Indeed, the natural boundaries of the Pacific Ocean and Santa Ynez Mountains not only serve as delightful scenic backdrops but also assure against over-development and swelling population. Homeowners have preserved Montecito’s pastoral qualities through efforts to maintain narrow oak-lined lanes, underground utilities, and advertisement free streets. In stark contrast to other swollen Southern California townships, Montecito possesses a single stoplight controlled intersection. The absence of concrete curbs and sidewalks create a bucolic charm not easily overlooked. Perhaps it is the area’s rich history, dating back to Spanish colonialism in the 1700s, or simply the unmistakable tranquility one derives from its elevated, island-studded vistas that make Montecito a town worthy of careful sustention.


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About Montecito

Montecito was a favorite vacation destination at the turn of the 20th century for wealthy American names such as Clark, DuPont, McCormick, and Rockefeller; Montecito’s choice hillocks soon became the sites upon which such families constructed sumptuous summertime estates. Montecito Village and Coast Village were born to supply the new inhabitants while undulating golf courses, shady tennis courts, and meandering bridal paths served to entertain them. The wealth that followed these barons provided the auspices under which eminent architects like Frank Lloyd Wright, Bertram Goodhue, and George Washington Smith exercised their talent. During Montecito's real estate flourishing golden age, these visionaries constructed the Italian hilltop villas and Colonial beachside mansions, which have become so iconic of Montecito’s present grandeur.

Montecito Life

Driving down its serene streets, past ivy crossed masonry, and picturesque estates, one simply won’t experience an appropriate sliver of Montecito Real Estate allure. A visitor might dine at cafés noted for impeccable flavor and service, peruse the neighboring boutiques and galleries, stroll the beach in the footsteps of prominent names in film, finance, and philanthropy, and still not grasp a complete appreciation of the community. To comprehend the totality of Montecito’s mystique is to submerge oneself within it. From beach condominiums to hilltop manors, all addresses share one trait: a contribution to a neighborhood greater than the sum of its homes. From its sandy shores to its beckoning foothills, Montecito is breathtaking, florid, rustic, and peerless. And residents may be the only ones who stand a chance at thoroughly relishing the depths of these resplendent characteristics.

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LOCAL SCHOOLS


PUBLIC

• Montecito Union
• Cold Spring School

• Santa Barbara Junior High
• Santa Barbara Senior High

PRIVATE

• Laguna Blanca Lower School
• Crane Country Day School
• Our Lady of Mount Carmel School