Sunnylands facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Sunnylands |
|
|---|---|
Sunnylands, 2014.
|
|
| General information | |
| Status | Complete |
| Location | 37977 Bob Hope Drive Rancho Mirage, California United States |
| Coordinates | 33°46′38″N 116°24′39″W / 33.7771°N 116.4107°W |
| Construction started | 1963 |
| Completed | 1966 |
| Renovated | 2012 |
| Owner | Annenberg Foundation |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | A. Quincy Jones |
| Renovating team | |
| Architect | Frederick B. Fisher |
| Renovating firm | Frederick Fisher and Partners Architects |
| Other designers | Office of James Burnett |
Sunnylands, also known as the Annenberg Estate, is a huge property in Rancho Mirage, California. It covers about 200 acres, which is like 150 football fields! Today, a group called The Annenberg Foundation Trust at Sunnylands runs it. This group is a not-for-profit organization.
The estate used to belong to Walter and Leonore Annenberg. They used it as their winter home starting in 1966. The city of Rancho Mirage thinks Sunnylands is very important historically. They even made it an official historic site in 1990. Many famous people and leaders have visited this special place. Some people even call Sunnylands the "Camp David of the West."
Contents
History of Sunnylands Estate
Work on the Sunnylands estate began in 1963. A famous interior designer named William Haines and his helper Ted Graber designed the inside of the house. The main house was designed by University of Southern California professor A. Quincy Jones. This house is huge, about 25,000 square feet, and is known for its unique pink roof. It was once the biggest house in Riverside County.
The property has a main house, places for guests to stay, and three small guest cottages. There's also a private 9-hole golf course and 13 man-made lakes. When the Annenbergs lived there, they had a large collection of amazing art. This included about 50 paintings by artists like Picasso, Van Gogh, Andrew Wyeth, and Monet. After Walter Annenberg passed away in 2002, many of these paintings were given to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
The house is hidden from public view. A pink brick wall surrounds the estate. Hundreds of eucalyptus and olive trees, along with thick Tamarisk trees, also help keep it private.
Famous Visitors at Sunnylands
Walter and Leonore Annenberg often invited important political leaders and famous entertainers to Sunnylands. Eight U.S. presidents visited the estate while the Annenbergs lived there. These included Eisenhower, Nixon, Ford, Reagan, Clinton, George H. W. Bush, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama.
After a big change in Iran in the 1970s, the family of the Shah of Iran was invited to stay at Sunnylands for safety. Even Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip visited for lunch. Prince Charles also made visits on weekends. The U.K. Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher was another important visitor.
Many other famous people have visited Sunnylands. These include actors and singers like Frank Sinatra (who even got married there!), Bob Hope, Fred Astaire, Gregory Peck, Ginger Rogers, Bing Crosby, Truman Capote, Mary Martin, and Sammy Davis, Jr..
First ladies like Pat Nixon, Betty Ford, Mamie Eisenhower, Rosalynn Carter, Laura Bush, Nancy Reagan, and Hillary Clinton have also spent time at Sunnylands. Royal visitors include Prince Andrew, Prince Edward, Princess Grace of Monaco, and Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands. Other important guests were British prime ministers John Major, Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and U.S. Secretaries of State like George Shultz and Henry Kissinger.
Sunnylands Center and Gardens
Before she passed away in 2009, Leonore Annenberg chose a spot next to Sunnylands for a visitor center. This center is about 17,000 square feet and is open to the public. It teaches visitors about the Annenbergs, the history of Sunnylands, and its collections.
Nine acres of desert gardens surround the Sunnylands Center. These gardens were designed by landscape architect James Burnett. They have more than 53,000 different plants!
After Walter Annenberg died in 2002 and Leonore in 2009, the property was given to The Annenberg Foundation Trust at Sunnylands. Both Walter and Leonore Annenberg are buried on the property.
The Annenbergs' collection of Impressionist paintings was given to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Now, digital copies of these paintings hang in the historic house. However, many of their modern sculptures stayed at Sunnylands. These include works by Rodin, Giacometti, Arp, and Agam. The collection also has art by Pablo Picasso, Andrew Wyeth, and Romare Bearden. Plus, there are beautiful Chinese porcelain, Meissen vases, Chinese cloisonné objects, and furniture. You can also see Tang dynasty sculptures, Flora Danica china, Steuben glass, and English silver-gilt items.
Some sculptures, like Auguste Rodin's Eternal Spring and Giacometti's Bust of Diego on Stele III, are always on display at Sunnylands Center. The Center also has changing exhibits about the art or history of the estate. Guided tours of the house and grounds started in March 2012. However, tours have been paused since early 2020 because of COVID-19.
Sunnylands: The "Camp David of the West"
The Annenbergs hoped Sunnylands would become a special place for leaders. They wanted it to be like the "Camp David of the West." Camp David is a quiet retreat where U.S. presidents can relax and meet with important people. The Annenbergs wanted Sunnylands to be a relaxed spot for leaders from all political groups to gather for meetings and discussions.
President Dwight D. Eisenhower and his wife, Mamie, enjoyed golfing and fishing with the Annenbergs there. President Richard Nixon even wrote his 1974 State of the Union Address at the house. After he left office, he was a guest at Sunnylands when President Gerald Ford pardoned him. President Ford and his wife Betty visited often.
President Ronald Reagan and Nancy Reagan were very close friends with the Annenbergs. They visited Sunnylands every New Year's for 18 years! President Reagan also gave one of his last radio speeches to the nation from Sunnylands. In January 1989, he signed a document there to start working on the NAFTA. President George H. W. Bush hosted a special dinner at the house for Japanese Prime Minister Toshiki Kaifu in 1990.
More recently, President Barack Obama used Sunnylands for important meetings. He met with Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2013. He also met with King Abdullah II of Jordan in 2014. In 2016, he hosted leaders from the ASEAN Summit there.
