George Fox Steedman (1871-1940) was a prominent businessman and bibliophile from St. Louis. He served as the president of the Curtis Manufacturing Company, a local enterprise that produced saws, pneumatic machinery, and munitions during the First World War. Though not an architect by trade, Steedman had a strong interest in the subject. Throughout the early 20th century, Steedman traveled extensively across the United States and Europe, acquiring numerous renowned and significant books on architecture.
In 1928, Steedman and his wife retired to Montecito, California. At that time, Steedman generously donated a substantial portion of his architectural book collection to the St. Louis Public Library. In addition to the donation, he financed the construction of a dedicated room to house this collection and established an endowment for future acquisitions.
Steedman enlisted the architect George Washington Smith to build his new home in Montecito. The house, now known as Casa del Herrero, is on the National Register of Historic Places. Photographs and information about the house can be found at the following sites:
Casa del Herrero official site
Profile of house by The Cultural Landscape Foundation
Information about the house on the site of the AD&A Museum, Santa Barbara
Steedman oversaw the construction of the room at Central from his home in Montecito. However, he passed away before he could see it in person. He was laid to rest in his family's plot at Bellefontaine Cemetery in St. Louis.