W. edwin and carolyn gledhill/Courtesy S.B. Historical Museum

George Gould settled at the family’s estate in Montecito in 1886. Locals called the grounds “The Jungle.”

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The homes they built and the gardens they nurtured have, by and large, disappeared. Yet there was a time when the three Gould brothers and their cousin were among the most prominent of Montecito residents.

The first to settle here was Frederic Saltonstall Gould, the youngest of the three brothers. A Harvard-trained physician with a practice in New York City, he came to Santa Barbara in 1884 for the same reason so many others did—to try to restore his flagging health. He moved into a home on Hot Springs Road before buying one half of his brother George’s San Leandro Ranch in 1906. Frederic and his wife, Clara, built a large Egyptian-style house atop a hill off of San Leandro Lane for the princely sum of $18,000. Reportedly, the house interior had all rounded corners to prevent dust accumulation.

The gardens, two years in the making, were the true glory of the Gould estate. They cascaded down the hill from the house, with pools and a stunning variety of plantings. The development of the gardens was overseen by Peter Riedel, one of the area’s best-known horticulturists, who had just taken over the nursery business of Dr. Francesco Franceschi.

Frederic Gould never really did recover his health and he remained a semi-invalid until his death in 1920. Clara Gould continued to live in the house until her death in 1948. She was very active in the community; she funded Gould Hall at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History in honor of her husband and, toward the end of her life, gave the estate to the Santa Barbara Foundation. The estate was eventually sold and the house, rather rundown, was razed in 1950. Many of the plantings were carted off to other estates. The only reminder of the couple today is a marble bas-relief monument off of San Leandro Lane, which Clara had erected in memory of her husband.

George, the middle brother, was the next of the three to settle here, in 1886. A water-rights litigator, he lived modestly by Montecito standards. Unlike Frederic, he did not install formal gardens; locals called his estate grounds “The Jungle.” He owned quite a bit of Montecito real estate. Undeveloped Gould Park is named after him.

After George’s death in 1926, eldest brother Charles moved into his brother’s home. A successful New York attorney, he had lived here on and off for years. The house belonging to these two brothers has also disappeared; only the gateposts on Olive Mill Road remain.

Probably the most interesting member of this Montecito clan was cousin William P. Gould. He and his wife, the former Mary Faulkner, bought property off of Olive Mill Road in 1889. In 1892, Gould built a two-story olive mill (hence, Olive Mill Road) and began to produce olive oil, olive oil candy, and soap. It was a short-lived venture. The mill shut down in 1905 and eventually was converted into a residence; singer Lena Horne owned it at one time.

Gould enjoyed an unusual hobby, the ownership of macaque monkeys. His favorite was a mischievous fellow named Teddy, who had a habit of greeting guests by jumping on their shoulders. The monkeys had the run of the gardens and, at times, the house.

William died in 1909; his wife continued to live here until her death in 1932. She was a great community benefactor, with a special interest in education. She helped found the first kindergarten here as well as Anna Blake’s manual training school, the seed from which would eventually spring UCSB. In 1929, she funded the construction of the Faulkner Gallery at the Santa Barbara Public Library in memory of her sisters.

Although the homes may have disappeared and the estates subdivided, the legacy of the Goulds lives on, in their good works and the many acts of philanthropy and generosity that enriched their community.

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