Exclusive Montecito, California, is home to some of America's most spectacular private residences, but none is as spectacular as Val Verde.

Built in 1915 by architect Bertram Goodhue, Val Verde is the most preserved of the great early-twentieth-century Southern California estate properties. Ann Mitchell's haunting photographic study of Val Verde in Austin Val Verde: Impressions of a Montecito Masterpiece reveals the stately original grandeur beneath the layers of the now-shabby elegance of this legendary California estate.