Virginia Robinson Gardens
Encyclopedia
The Virginia Robinson Gardens are the period landscape, historic mansion, and botanical garden
s located at the Virginia Robinson Estate ( 6 acre (0.02428116 km²) ) in Beverly Hills, California
, United States
.
The Renaissance Revival Pool Pavilion was built in 1924 and is modeled after the Villa Pisani
in the Tuscan region of Italy. Decorative panels of Sgraffito
ornamentation adorn the Roman arch
es at the entry to the pavilion's Solarium
. The Pavilion
overlooks a long pool with mosaic tile wainscoting.
Mediterranean to Tropical Oceanea.
.
Botanical garden
A botanical garden The terms botanic and botanical, and garden or gardens are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word botanic is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens. is a well-tended area displaying a wide range of plants labelled with their botanical names...
s located at the Virginia Robinson Estate ( 6 acre (0.02428116 km²) ) in Beverly Hills, California
Beverly Hills, California
Beverly Hills is an affluent city located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. With a population of 34,109 at the 2010 census, up from 33,784 as of the 2000 census, it is home to numerous Hollywood celebrities. Beverly Hills and the neighboring city of West Hollywood are together...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
History
The Virginia Robinson Gardens are a representation of an early twentieth century estate. Harry and Virginia Robinson were known for their department store called Robinson’s and civic philanthropy. They built the main house in 1911, in a Beaux Arts style. The residence is furnished with antiques and artifacts collected from around the world.The Renaissance Revival Pool Pavilion was built in 1924 and is modeled after the Villa Pisani
Villa Pisani
Villa Pisani is the name shared by a number of villas commissioned by the patrician Pisani family of Venice. However, Villa Pisani usually refers to a large, late baroque villa at Stra on the mainland of the Veneto, northern Italy. It was begun in the early 18th century for Alvise Pisani, the most...
in the Tuscan region of Italy. Decorative panels of Sgraffito
Sgraffito
Sgraffito is a technique either of wall decor, produced by applying layers of plaster tinted in contrasting colors to a moistened surface, or in ceramics, by applying to an unfired ceramic body two successive layers of contrasting slip, and then in either case scratching so as to produce an...
ornamentation adorn the Roman arch
Arch
An arch is a structure that spans a space and supports a load. Arches appeared as early as the 2nd millennium BC in Mesopotamian brick architecture and their systematic use started with the Ancient Romans who were the first to apply the technique to a wide range of structures.-Technical aspects:The...
es at the entry to the pavilion's Solarium
Solarium
Solarium may refer to:* Similar to a Sunroom, a room built largely of glass to afford exposure to the sun. Solariums have glass roofs , unlike sunrooms...
. The Pavilion
Pavilion (structure)
In architecture a pavilion has two main meanings.-Free-standing structure:Pavilion may refer to a free-standing structure sited a short distance from a main residence, whose architecture makes it an object of pleasure. Large or small, there is usually a connection with relaxation and pleasure in...
overlooks a long pool with mosaic tile wainscoting.
Gardens
The Virginia Robinson Gardens range in style and plant type from Italian RenaissanceItalian Renaissance garden
The Italian Renaissance garden was a new style of garden which emerged in the late 15th century at villas in Rome and Florence, inspired by classical ideals of order and beauty, and intended for the pleasure of the view of the garden and the landscape beyond, for contemplation, and for the...
Mediterranean to Tropical Oceanea.
The Estate has five distinctive Gardens
- The Italian RenaissanceItalian Renaissance gardenThe Italian Renaissance garden was a new style of garden which emerged in the late 15th century at villas in Rome and Florence, inspired by classical ideals of order and beauty, and intended for the pleasure of the view of the garden and the landscape beyond, for contemplation, and for the...
Terrace Garden, with views of mature specimen trees and CitrusCitrusCitrus is a common term and genus of flowering plants in the rue family, Rutaceae. Citrus is believed to have originated in the part of Southeast Asia bordered by Northeastern India, Myanmar and the Yunnan province of China...
Terraces. Planted under large Magnolia TreesMagnoliaMagnolia is a large genus of about 210 flowering plant species in the subfamily Magnolioideae of the family Magnoliaceae. It is named after French botanist Pierre Magnol....
are a variety of CamelliaCamelliaCamellia, the camellias, is a genus of flowering plants in the family Theaceae. They are found in eastern and southern Asia, from the Himalaya east to Korea and Indonesia. There are 100–250 described species, with some controversy over the exact number...
s, GardeniaGardeniaGardenia is a genus of 142 species of flowering plants in the coffee family, Rubiaceae, native to the tropical and subtropical regions of Africa, southern Asia, Australasia and Oceania....
s, and AzaleaAzaleaAzaleas are flowering shrubs comprising two of the eight subgenera of the genus Rhododendron, Pentanthera and Tsutsuji . Azaleas bloom in spring, their flowers often lasting several weeks...
s. - The Formal Mall Garden, with perennial flower borders and rare specimen CycadCycadCycads are seed plants typically characterized by a stout and woody trunk with a crown of large, hard and stiff, evergreen leaves. They usually have pinnate leaves. The individual plants are either all male or all female . Cycads vary in size from having a trunk that is only a few centimeters...
'palms'. - The Rose Garden, with heirloom RoseRoseA rose is a woody perennial of the genus Rosa, within the family Rosaceae. There are over 100 species. They form a group of erect shrubs, and climbing or trailing plants, with stems that are often armed with sharp prickles. Flowers are large and showy, in colours ranging from white through yellows...
s. - The Kitchen GardenKitchen gardenThe traditional kitchen garden, also known as a potager, is a space separate from the rest of the residential garden - the ornamental plants and lawn areas...
or Potager, with vegetableVegetableThe noun vegetable usually means an edible plant or part of a plant other than a sweet fruit or seed. This typically means the leaf, stem, or root of a plant....
s and an Herb Garden. - The Tropical PalmArecaceaeArecaceae or Palmae , are a family of flowering plants, the only family in the monocot order Arecales. There are roughly 202 currently known genera with around 2600 species, most of which are restricted to tropical, subtropical, and warm temperate climates...
Garden, including a grove of King Palms (Archontophoenix cunninghamianaArchontophoenix cunninghamianaArchontophoenix cunninghamiana, the Bangalow Palm or King Palm, is an Australian palm. It can grow up to and over 20 metres tall. Its flower colour is violet and the red fruits are attractive to birds. It flowers in mid-summer and has evergreen foliage...
), reportedly the largest in the continental United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The tropical area also contains GingerGingerGinger is the rhizome of the plant Zingiber officinale, consumed as a delicacy, medicine, or spice. It lends its name to its genus and family . Other notable members of this plant family are turmeric, cardamom, and galangal....
s, BananaBananaBanana is the common name for herbaceous plants of the genus Musa and for the fruit they produce. Bananas come in a variety of sizes and colors when ripe, including yellow, purple, and red....
s, and PlumeriaPlumeriaPlumeria is a genus of flowering plants of the family that includes Dogbane: the Apocynaceae. It contains 7-8 species of mainly deciduous shrubs and small trees...
s.
Access
The Robinson Gardens are managed by the County of Los Angeles and open to the public for Docent Tours by advanced reservation only. The Friends of Virginia Robinson Gardens support this landmark listed in 1978 in the National Register of Historic PlacesNational Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.
See also
- List of botanical gardens in the United States
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Los Angeles