Smith moved to California and designed and built his own home in Montecito, modeled after the Spanish farmhouses he so admired in Andalusia. The house he built, known as Casa Dracaena was beautifully successful, and images of the property were used as adds to sell certain kinds of tile and cement for other building projects. His neighbors started to want to live in similar buildings, and Smith became a full time architect to fulfill the demand. He became one of the most famous architects in the United States.



Smith is credited as the father of the Spanish Colonial Revival Style. His original Montecito home, as well as "Casa Del Greco", his second self-designed residences next door, built in 1920, are still extant today as family residences.

The Spanish style is always in high demand in the United States, as seen across the nation in other forms of Spanish style, like the Spanish mission style. A great example is the Spanish Mission Deco style that was a style-fusion that happened in the 1920's. T.P. Barnett's Spanish Deco building in St. Louis on the famous Washington Ave. is a great example of that.

Thomas P. Barnett's father was one of the most prominent architects in St. Louis, and Thomas went on to carry the family flag with pride. When George I. Barnett died in 1898, his two sons George D. and Thomas P. would go on to further contribute to the rich architectural history of St. Louis. The boys would eventually come to create Barnett, Haynes, and Barnett with their brother in law John Haynes. All of them had trained with the elder Barnett, and all of them were imbued with the same spirit, talent, and artistry.

Together, George Washington Smith and Thomas P. Barnett have changed the face of Spanish Mission Revivalist architecture. These guys certainly weren't practicing the more cosmetic forms of Spanish revivalism, their buildings were head to toe authentic and intricate in their construction, and their buildings are still thoroughly enjoyed today for their beauty and history.

Spanish revival architecture is hugely popular in California, and increasingly across the nation. The mission revival style and colonial revival styles grew in popularity at the beginning of the 20th century, but people today still chose to emulate the Spanish style when building their homes and public establishments. Why do people continue to use this Spanish style? I argue that the Spanish colonial style represents the very beginnings of the United States on the west coast, and this time in the US history continues to spark people's imaginations. The aesthetic elements are iconic, and people still commission architects to create the homes of their dreams in this style.