Grant Castleberg

Award-winning Santa Barbara landscape architect Grant Castleberg passed away peacefully at home on November 29, 2025, at age 89. He was surrounded with love by his wife of 59 years, Anne-Marie; his son Paul and wife Valentina; his daughter Katie and husband Tom; his granddaughters Giulia and Daniela; and his beloved dogs Finn and Luna, along with his grand-dog Hendry. The family cherishes the memory of having shared one final Thanksgiving dinner together, a joyful evening during which Grant was able to enjoy a full meal surrounded by friends and family.

Grant and Anne-Marie met on a ski trip to Mammoth with the Santa Barbara Ski Club in 1966 and married a year later. Skiing became a treasured family tradition, with trips to Mammoth, Vail, and Beaver Creek. As newlyweds, they bought a home on La Mesa; a few years later they moved to Goleta to one Grant’s early projects, Cathedral Oaks Village; and eventually settled into their forever home on aptly named Garden Street, just steps away from his next major project, Alice Keck Park Memorial Gardens. 30 years after the first plan was drawn for the park, Anne-Marie wrote and published, in collaboration with the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, a love letter to Grant in the form of a well-researched, gorgeously illustrated book about the history of the property that is now Alice Keck Park Memorial Garden, and it’s benefactors called ‘Alice’s Garden’. “In early 1975 the Botanic garden formed a selection committee to choose a designer for what was still being called El Mirasol Park. … landscape architects from all over Southern California” were considered but the committee “decided on Grant. “He was chosen, Elizabeth de Forest told him later, because of his broad knowledge and keen interest in plant material and his innovative ideas on how to create an informal, intimate garden”. Grant continued to enjoy riding his mobility scooter down to and around Alice Keck Park Memorial Garden until his passing.

Grant and Anne-Marie loved to sail as well. From early on it started with sailing lessons at Santa Barbara Sailing Center, then Sea Shells for the kids at West Beach, then a Laser, and then graduated to larger boats, with a Hunter 45 as their last great adventure vessel. In 1998 Grant downsized his business so that he could pursue extended sailing adventures with Anne-Marie. Sailing became one of the great joys of his life: weekends at Santa Cruz Island just the two of them or with their kids and grand-kids, weeks at Catalina, and a three-month voyage to Ensenada. A member of the Santa Barbara Yacht Club since 1979, he cherished its cruises, brunches, and enduring friendships.

Classical music was another of Grant’s passions. In retirement, he played the piano nearly every day—right up to the day before he passed—and treasured his weekly lessons with his longtime teacher, Egle Januleviciute.

A member of the Santa Barbara Mission, Grant helped to create the new Olive Garden Stations of the Cross. It is, yet another of Grant’s beautifully designed, tranquil and serene spaces in Santa Barbara that the public can enjoy along with Alice Keck Park Memorial Gardens, and the Corner Green in Montecito.

His daughter Katie wrote “My dad was far ahead of his times: he was nurturing, kindhearted, caring, creative, and fun. Bless him for all of the times he read Green Eggs and Ham for me! (He knew every word by heart!) My parents shared a true, enduring love. Married nearly 60 years, they weathered challenges together and showed us that love survives, heals, and nourishes. They traveled the world—often taking my brother Paul and me along—to England, Ireland, Portugal, and beyond. Wherever we went, we visited gardens, castles, forts, and museums. I cherish the memories of those trips and the things I learned, and I continue to visit gardens wherever I travel, because of the love of nature and beauty both of my parents instilled in me.”

Professional Life as a Landscape Architect Born in western Wisconsin on August 18, 1936, Grant moved with his family at age three to California—first Pomona, and later Santa Barbara, where his family owned the Western Auto Store on State Street. He studied architecture at USC before transferring to Cal Poly Pomona, graduating with honors in Landscape Architecture.

In 1960, Grant returned to Santa Barbara to work with architect and landscape architect Richard Taylor. In 1969, he founded Castleberg Associates. With no clients and a young child at home, it was a bold leap—but his talent and reputation quickly drew attention. By the early 1980s, the firm employed ten people, including six women affectionately known as “Grant’s Angels.” Many of his protégés went on to establish their own successful practices. His garden designs continue to grace and define Santa Barbara and Montecito and can be enjoyed by all in the public spaces he created in addition to the private gardens.

Grant was a member of Santa Barbara Landmarks Comission, and the 2 nd president of Santa Barbara Beautiful. His landscape design contributions were recognized in 2009 when Santa Barbara Beautiful awarded him the prestigious Moreton Bay Fig Award for “outstanding and invaluable service to the community.” Over his career, he received more than 20 Santa Barbara Beautiful Awards and 15 Goleta Beautiful Awards.

Notable Projects
 Alice Keck Park Memorial Garden
 Paseo Nuevo Mall
 Village Green, Montecito
 Samarkand Retirement Home
 Sea Meadow Residential Community (Hammond Estate)
 Exxon re-vegetation site near Gaviota (20-year project)
 Ventura City Hall
 First Presbyterian Church, Santa Barbara
 Meditation Mount, Ojai
 Santa Barbara Mission – Olive Garden Stations of the Cross
 Santa Barbara Mission – Father Dan’s Garden
 Santa Barbara Mission Park Rose Garden
 Numerous private residences

Grant’s legacy lives on in the gardens he shaped, the family he raised, the wife he loved, the beauty he created, and the countless lives he touched. He will be remembered always with love, gratitude, and admiration.

Grant was a deeply loved, gentle man whose vision shaped iconic landscapes across the Santa Barbara region. He will be greatly missed by his wife, Anne-Marie; his son Paul and daughter-in-law Valentina; his daughter Katie and son-in-law Tom; his granddaughters Giulia and Daniela; his step-grandchildren Owen, Skyler, and Tenaya Storm; and his devoted caregiver of six years, Gustavo Vasquez.

A funeral mass will be held in early January 9th , 2026 at 11am at the Santa Barbara
Mission.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to Santa Barbara Botanic Garden in his name. These funds will be used specifically for the ongoing maintenance and upkeep of his beloved park, Alice Keck Park Memorial Gardens. Volunteer opportunities are also available to help with the care of the park, and Grant would whole heartly agree that it is wonderfully therapeutic to roll up your sleeves and get your hands in the soil.