Virginia Robinson Gardens facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Virginia Robinson Estate
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Virginia Robinson residence
and entry garden. |
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 Location in the Los Angeles metropolitan area
Location in California
Location in the United States
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| Location | 1008 Elden Way, Beverly Hills, California |
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| Area | 6.2 acres (2.5 ha) |
| Built | 1911 |
| Architect | Nathaniel Dryden |
| Architectural style | Beaux Arts, Renaissance Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 78000679 |
| Added to NRHP | November 15, 1978 |
The Virginia Robinson Gardens are a special place in Beverly Hills, California. It includes a historic mansion, beautiful gardens, and a collection of plants. This estate is also known as the Virginia Robinson Estate and covers about 6 acres.
Contents
History of the Estate
The Virginia Robinson Gardens is the oldest estate in Beverly Hills, California. It was once the home of Virginia Dryden Robinson and Harry Winchester Robinson. Harry was the heir to the famous J. W. Robinson's Dept. Store.
The Main House
The main house was built in 1911. It was designed by architect Nathaniel Dryden, who was Virginia's father. The house is built in the Beaux Arts style. Inside, you can find old furniture and unique items from all over the world.
The Pool Pavilion
A beautiful pool pavilion was added in 1924. It is designed in the Renaissance Revival style. This building has cool decorations called sgraffito on its Roman arches. Sgraffito is a way of decorating walls by scratching through layers of plaster to show different colors. The pavilion looks out over a long swimming pool. The pool has mosaic tiles along its sides.
Amazing Gardens
The Virginia Robinson Gardens feature many different styles and types of plants. You can find everything from Italian Renaissance designs to tropical plants. The estate has five main gardens:
- The Italian Renaissance Terrace Garden: This garden offers great views of old trees and Citrus plants. Underneath large magnolia trees, you'll see many kinds of camellias, gardenias, and azaleas.
- The Formal Mall Garden: This area has colorful flowers that bloom year after year. It also has rare cycad 'palms'.
- The Rose Garden: Here, you can enjoy many types of old-fashioned roses.
- The Kitchen Garden or Potager: This garden grows vegetables and a variety of herbs.
- The Tropical Palm Garden: This garden has a large group of king palms (Archontophoenix cunninghamiana). It is said to be the biggest group of these palms in the United States. This tropical area also has gingers, bananas, and plumeria flowers.
Visiting the Gardens
The Robinson Gardens are managed by the County of Los Angeles. You can visit them, but you need to book a tour in advance. These tours are led by guides who can tell you all about the estate. A group called the Friends of Virginia Robinson Gardens helps support this important landmark.
The estate was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. This means it is a very important historical site. It is also a California Point of Historical Interest. Plus, it's on the City of Beverly Hills Local Register of Historic Properties.
See also
In Spanish: Jardines de Virginia Robinson para niños
