Hollyhock, Ennis House and Neutra’s Home

The Fellows visited Olive Hill, otherwise known as Hollyhock, where we were blessed with a beautiful, chilly, and crisp clear day. The guest curator for the event was renowned Frank Lloyd Wright and Modernist architecture scholar Kathryn Smith. Upon our arrival, we saw the majestic abode designed for the daring Aline Barnsdall, who raced cars, had oil fields, and traveled the world, extensively pursuing the arts. She commissioned from Wright an estate for the hill that she envisioned as a self-sustaining complex meant to house acting and literary thespians.
While Wright was in Japan … Read More

The Art of Water

James Garland, the founder of Fluidity, a water-based design and engineering firm, gave a spectacular lecture on fountains and water features through the ages. The designer of the fountains at the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas, Jim also showed us contemporary projects he designed in Dubai, China, and South Korea among other destinations.

Jim went on a “fountain safari,” to study water features worldwide. The pool at the Taj Mahal is quite thin. But it is just long and wide enough to reflect this magnificent building.  The water gardens at the Alhambra in Spain are one … Read More

On a perfect sunny morning, the Fellows of FRG visited the spectacular Sunset Boulevard estate of the innovative and philanthropic couple, Lynda and Stuart Resnick. Sunset House, as it is aptly named, is surrounded by elegant gardens created by landscape architect Rios Clementi Hale Studios and A.C. Martin. This classic French-style Beaux-Arts mansion provided a breathtaking view of the gardens after the recent re-situation of the front of the house in line with the new and elegant landscape. A grove of mature fruit trees not only line the front of the property, they create a beautiful barrier from the … Read More

The Fellows are members of the Friends of Robinson Gardens who join at a higher financial level.  Through their patronage, the Friends have been able to greatly increase the scope  of restoration projects at this historic property.  In appreciation for their  generous support, FRG offers a wealth of additional opportunities and benefits. They include unique events, such as  visits to private collections, exclusive garden tours, historical lectures, museum visits, and a special thank you dinner.

A Partial List of Future Fellows Events:

In January, a lecture on water feature design by James Garland who just completed the fountains at the … Read More

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From left to right: Wendy Wintrob, Adrienne Horwitch, Dorothy Kamins, Maralee Beck, Laura Alpert, Tania Norris.
Standing in front of the MacKenzie-Childs furniture (visible here)

The Robinson Gardens thank you to our benefactors for their generosity throughout the year.

John McDuffie on steel guitar, Doug Livingston on slide guitar… Read More

Gavin Herbert, owner of Casa Pacific and Rogers Gardens greeted the Fellows on the poolside terrace of his magnificent estate, formerly known as the “Western White House” during the Nixon Administration on April 18, 2012. Casa Pacific is located in San Clemente, California, overlooking the Pacific Ocean. The large, Spanish-style, California Mission Revival mansion was modeled after a country home in San Sebastian, Spain and was designed by architect Carl Lindbom. Mr. Herbert shared many fascinating memories of his life and experiences associated with the property in the Presidential years. His interest in gardening began as a child, when his … Read More

 

 

 

 

On March 21 the Fellows experienced the world class collection of Modern and Contemporary art with an emphasis on Abstract Expressionism at the home of Carla and Fred Sands.… Read More

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