Like Flower Seeds
Have you ever heard of the Huntington Library? If you lived in Southern California chances are that you have. When someone told me about this famous estate housing a library, art museum and botanical gardens, I thought it was somewhere in Huntington Beach. Quite logical, right? I felt a bit stupid after I found out more about this sprawling property nestled along the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains in San Marino, an affluent community a bit west of Pasadena, 45 miles northwest of Huntington Beach. Meet the man behind Huntington Library. Henry E. Huntington. A Southern Californian railroad and real estate mogul who was interested a great deal in books, art, and gardens. After he married his Uncle’s widow, Arabella, the couple transformed Henry’s San Marino Ranch into what is known today as Huntington Library and Botanical Gardens. Visitors can stroll manicured lawns, rest on marble benches, admire Romanesque statues and cool off in the spray of gushing fountain pools. A vast European art collection is exhibited in the halls of the estate’s regal Beaux Arts mansion overlooking the Los Angeles basin. Amidst a sea of roses, the charming tearoom invites for tea and English scones, while the Conservatory calls to those who want to learn more about the world of plants. Zen can be found either entering the Japanese Garden or the Chinese Garden and in the library a million words are bound into prized collection. Come and enjoy the tour of this picturesque setting of Henry E. Huntington’s dream come true.
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