National Register of Historic Places

Robinson, Virginia, Estate

Beverly Hills, Los Angeles County, California
Listed
November 15, 1978
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
78000679

About this property

The Virginia Robinson Gardens are the period landscape, historic mansion, and botanical gardens located at the Virginia Robinson Estate (6-acre (0.024 km2)) in Beverly Hills, California, United States. The Virginia Robinson Gardens is the earliest estate in Beverly Hills, California. It was the private residence of Virginia Dryden Robinson and Harry Winchester Robinson, heir to J. W. Robinson's Dept. Store. The main house was designed in 1911 by architect Nathaniel Dryden, who was Virginia's father, 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. Decorative panels of sgraffito ornamentation adorn the Roman arches at the entry to the pavilion's solarium. The pavilion overlooks a long pool with mosaic tile wainscoting. The Italian Renaissance Terrace Garden, with views of mature specimen trees and the Citrus Terraces. Planted under large magnolia trees are a variety of camellias, gardenias, and azaleas. The Formal Mall Garden, with perennial flower borders and rare specimen cycad 'palms'. The Kitchen Garden or Potager, with vegetables and an herb garden. The Tropical Palm Garden, including a grove of king palms (Archontophoenix cunninghamiana), reportedly the largest in the continental United States. The tropical area also contains gingers, bananas, and plumerias. The Robinson Gardens are managed by the County of Los Angeles and open to the public for docent tours by advance reservation only. The Friends of Virginia Robinson Gardens support this landmark. It was listed in 1978 on the National Register of Historic Places. Additionally, it holds the status of a California Point of Historical Interest, and is included on the City of Beverly Hills Local Register of Historic Properties. National Register of Historic Places listings in Los Angeles County, California Friends of Virginia Robinson Gardens – tours + information

Location

1008 Elden Way
Beverly Hills, Los Angeles County, California
34.08644, -118.41767

Categories

EXPLORATION/SETTLEMENTARCHITECTURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

Beverly Hills Women's Club
Industrial
0.7 mi
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1 mi
Chateau Colline
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1.3 mi
US Post Office-Beverly Hills Main
Industrial
1.3 mi
Wright, Lloyd, Home and Studio
Industrial
1.3 mi

Questions about this property

When was Robinson, Virginia, Estate listed on the National Register?

Robinson, Virginia, Estate was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on November 15, 1978.

What type of historic resource is Robinson, Virginia, Estate?

Robinson, Virginia, Estate is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Robinson, Virginia, Estate?

The period of significance for Robinson, Virginia, Estate is recorded as the industrial era.

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