Our History
The Arnold Family in California
For five generations members of the Arnold Family have been active in California in various areas of real estate development, brokerage, construction, valuation, and management. Henry C. Arnold originally came to California from Boston to oversee mining interests he had purchased in Mariposa County. By the early 1900's he had established Arnold Agency in Los Angeles where he developed residential properties, and also acted a mortgage broker, appraiser, and real estate broker. After finishing law school at USC, his son Max B. Arnold moved the family back to central California where he established a branch of Arnold Agency.
Max was a ranch broker, agricultural loan broker, and rancher. He built two of the earliest adobe structures in Madera County. His sister, Dorothy, was also a broker and property manager at Arnold Agency. The next generation of the family was represented by brothers R. C. "Red" Arnold and J. P. "Pat" Arnold. After university (USC and Stanford), they both became part of Arnold Agency and were active in ranching, construction, brokerage, and lending. Pat built an adobe home on the banks of the Fresno River. Pat's son, Michael Neal Arnold, moved to Santa Barbara to attend UCSB and stayed to begin in the appraisal profession. He helped found and grow Hammock, Arnold, Smith and Company.
In addition to Michael, sons Thomas and Matthew are appraisers at Hammock, Arnold, Smith and Company. In the early 2000s, Nathaniel and Matthew formed Arnold Brothers Construction. Early endeavors included several residential projects for their own account and a number of commercial contracting jobs. Over the intervening years Arnold Brothers Construction has grown to be recognized as one of the premier residential construction firms in the area. They have won awards and are widely recognized in property circles for the value added as a result of their participation in projects.
Today, the Arnold family legacy is thriving in Santa Barbara. And with a growing sixth generation in the area, we have high hopes for the future.
