Francis Townsend Underhill (25 February 1863 – 1929) was a politician from the U.S. state of

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

and an amateur architect in

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

Biography

Born in

Oyster Bay, New York The Town of Oyster Bay is the easternmost of the three towns which make up Nassau County, New York, United States. Part of the New York metropolitan area, it is the only town in Nassau County to extend from the North Shore to the South Shore o ...

, he was a ninth-generation descendant of

Captain John Underhill John Underhill (7 October 1597 – 21 July 1672) was an early English settler and soldier in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, the Province of New Hampshire, where he also served as governor; the New Haven Colony, New Netherland, and later the Pro ...

. Underhill was raised by his aunts as his parents (James Week Underhill, 1819-1868; Margaret Varnum) died when he was of a young age. He was educated by tutors in the US and abroad, studying architecture and landscape architecture. Schooner Mayflower-02

Underhill married Henrietta Graham Meyer in 1883. Their three daughters, Margaret Varnum Underhill (born 1885), Katherine Underhill (born 1892), and Dorothy Underhill (born 1894), were raised at the family's Oyster Bay estate. He was a member of

Caroline Astor Caroline Webster "Lina" Schermerhorn Astor (September 22, 1830 – October 30, 1908) was a prominent American socialite of the second half of the 19th century who led the Four Hundred. Famous for being referred to later in life as "the Mrs. Asto ...

's Four Hundred social registry, the Knickerbocker Union, Society of Colonial Wars, Sons of the American Revolution, and the Union Club of New York. A horseman, he was a judge at

Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as The Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh and Eighth avenues from 31st to 33rd Street, above Pennsylva ...

in 1890. Underhill raced his yachts, ''Mayflower'' and ''Mischief'' in the

America's Cup The America's Cup, informally known as the Auld Mug, is a trophy awarded in the sport of sailing. It is the oldest international competition still operating in any sport. America's Cup match races are held between two sailing yachts: one f ...

. He served as an Army officer in Cuba during the

Spanish–American War , partof = the Philippine Revolution, the decolonization of the Americas, and the Cuban War of Independence , image = Collage infobox for Spanish-American War.jpg , image_size = 300px , caption = (clock ...

alongside

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...

. He briefly served as secretary to E. H. Harriman of the

Union Pacific Railroad The Union Pacific Railroad , legally Union Pacific Railroad Company and often called simply Union Pacific, is a freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Paci ...

In 1884, Underhill bought the Ontare Ranch in the Santa Ynez Valley from

Dixie Thompson Dixie, also known as Dixieland or Dixie's Land, is a nickname for all or part of the Southern United States. While there is no official definition of this region (and the included areas shift over the years), or the extent of the area it cover ...

for $18,000, moving there with his family. Two years later, he purchased 5,260 acres south of

Los Alamos, California Los Alamos (Spanish language, Spanish: ''Los Álamos'', meaning ''The Cottonwoods'') is a census-designated place (CDP) in Santa Barbara County, California, Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Although located in the Los Alamos V ...

from Dr. James Barron Shaw in spring 1886. He wrote ''Driving for Pleasure: Or, The Harness Stable and Its Appointments'' in 1896. In 1900, Underhill divorced Henrietta and moved permanently to California, tired of splitting his time between two coasts. He purchased the 6,000 acre El Roblar Rancho near Los Alamos in 1904, and two years later, he married Carmelita Dibblee (born 1886, Santa Barbara), granddaughter of

Pablo de la Guerra Pablo de la Guerra (29 November 1819 – 5 February 1874) was a Californio politician, judge, and signer of the Californian Constitution in 1849. He served as acting Lieutenant Governor of California and as a member of the California Senate ...

and great-granddaughter of

José de la Guerra y Noriega José Antonio de la Guerra y Noriega (March 6, 1779 – February 18, 1858) was a Californio military officer, ranchero, and founder of the prominent Guerra family of California. He served as the Commandant of the Presidio of Santa Barbara and the ...

Architecture

In 1904, Underhill designed for his second wife La Chiquita, which ''

Country Life in America ''Country Life in America'' was an American shelter magazine, first published in November 1901 as an illustrated monthly by Doubleday, Page & Company. Henry H. Saylor was the initial managing editor, and Robert M. McBride started his career at thi ...

'' named in 1915 "one of the 12 best country houses in America'. It is now a part of the

Santa Barbara Biltmore The Four Seasons Resort The Biltmore Santa Barbara is a luxury resort hotel located in Santa Barbara, California known for its Spanish Colonial Revival architecture and gardens. It opened in 1927 as the Santa Barbara Biltmore, part of the Bowman ...

. Recognized as a talented architect and landscape designer, Underhill was commissioned to design over 32 houses and several gardens over the following ten years, which turned out some of the most enduring buildings in Santa Barbara. His most notable achievements include Villa de la Guerra, the Polo Club, Solana (the Peabody residence which eventually became the Center for the Study of Democratic Institutions), and the Roman Pool Pavilion for the George Owen Knapp's Arcady estate (featuring a 40 foot indoor pool encased in an neoclassic structure with a precisely engineered retractable roof). The Underhill estate was used in 1916 as filming location for the movie '' Purity'' starring noted artists' model

Audrey Munson Audrey Marie Munson (June 8, 1891 – February 20, 1996) was an American model (person), artist's model and film actress, considered to be "America's first supermodel." In her time, she was variously known as "Miss Manhattan", the "Panama–Paci ...

. *1903-04, Francis Underhill house #1, La Chiquita, Santa Barbara *1904, Francis Underhill house #2, Santa Barbara *1906-07, Francis Underhill house #3, Montecito *1909-10, Francisca de la Guerra Dibblee house (mother of Carmelita Dibblee), near Mission Santa Barbara *1911, Walter Douglass house, Montecito *1911, Joseph G. Coleman, Jr. house, Montecito *1911-14, Peabody house, Solana, Santa Barbara *1914-17, Arcady garden, George Owen Knapp estate *1916, Roman Pool Pavilion, George Owen Knapp estate *1916-17, George C. Boldt house, La Manzanita, Montecito *1917, Robert Patterson house, East Valley Road, Montecito *1917, C. F. K. Billings house, Santa Barbara

References

Bibliography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Underhill, Francis Townsend 1863 births 1929 deaths Architects from California People from Oyster Bay (town), New York Land owners from California People from Santa Barbara County, California American landscape architects