A year before billionaire philanthropist Walter Annenberg's death in 2002, the Annenberg Foundation Trust at Sunnyland was established to fund the future use of Sunnylands, the 200-acre estate in Rancho Mirage, California. A year before Leonore Annenberg's death in 2009, plans were begun to transform Sunnylands from the Annenberg's winter retreat to an educational center and peaceful sanctuary for the public and for public figures.
The original 1966 estate was the vision of the Annenbergs. Designed by architect A. Quincy Jones and landscape architect Emmet Wemple, the property includes an historic midcentury modern residence surrounded by a golf course, tennis court, swimming pool, artificial ponds, guest cottages, and a Chinese pavilion.
The present Annenberg Retreat at Sunnylands is much more. In addition to renovating the original estate, the Trust developed an adjacent 15 acres to include an education and visitor's center, landscaped art gardens, and a solar field. Sunnylands Center and Gardens opened to the public in 2012.
Explore the Landscape of the Annenberg Retreat at Sunnylands:
Sunnylands Center >>>
Sunnylands Art Gardens >>>
Sustainability at Sunnylands >>>
Historic Sunnylands, 1966 >>>
Related Resources:
- Sunnylands: Art and Architecture of the Annenberg Estate in Rancho Mirage, California, David G. De Long (ed.), University of Pennsylvania Press, 2009
- Plan Your Visit to Sunnylands
Sources: Sunnylands at a Glance at sunnylands.org/page/74/fact-sheet; "The Annenberg Retreat At Sunnylands Dedicated February 2012" Press Release at sunnylands.org/page/131/press-kit; [Websites accessed February 14, 2013]
Sunnylands Center
Between 2008 and 2012, a new visitor's education center was envisioned and built adjacent to the Sunnylands, 1966 estate. A circular Great Lawn at the Center's rear terrace provides quiet refuge and access to a garden Labyrinth and open-air performance circle. Although the Center's architecture seems to be the focal point for the surrounding gardens, the landscape architecture was built to support and sustain the structure's operation—the architectures are integrated with one another.
About the Sunnylands Center:
Size: 17,000-square-feet
Location: on 15 acres adjacent to the historic estate
Cost: $35 million for the new Center and Gardens
Designer: Frederick Fisher & Partners
Style: in keeping with the 1966 Annenberg residence by architect A. Quincy Jones (e.g., lava walls, trellises, and glass walls floor to ceiling; the Center's two 16-foot-high lava-stone walls were quarried in Utah)
Center's Interior Design: Michael Smith, Santa Monica, references the William Haines and Ted Graber interior design of the 1966 house (e.g., Sunnylands Interior: Living Room)
Features: 47-seat theater with video conferencing; Great Room for large gatherings and receptions; educational kiosks; a variety of meeting areas; art displays; glass walls with views of the gardens and mountains, including Mt. San Jacinto
Dates: completed in 2011; dedicated February 12, 2012; opened to the public March 1, 2012
What can I learn about at Sunnylands Center?
- midcentury modern architecture and other area Architecture in Palm Springs, California
- Sunnylands' architecture, architects, and design teams
- the Annenberg art collection
- the lives and philanthropy of Walter and Leonore Annenberg
- desert living and sustainability
- the gardens and grounds of Sunnylands
Explore the Landscape of the Annenberg Retreat at Sunnylands:
The Annenberg Retreat at Sunnylands >>>
Sunnylands Art Gardens >>>
Sustainability at Sunnylands >>>
Historic Sunnylands, 1966 >>>
Sources: Sunnylands at a Glance at sunnylands.org/page/74/fact-sheet; The Center at sunnylands.org/page/21/the-center; Retreat Facilities at sunnylands.org/page/52/retreat-facilities [websites accessed February 17-18, 2013]
Thousands of plantings stand unlabeled in the landscape surrounding the Sunnylands visitor center—or do they? New technology in the form of an "app" or application helps identify the vegetation choices on the Sunnylands campus. No name tags in this garden, but printed maps are also available for more traditional visitors.
About the Sunnylands Gardens:
Location: within the Annenberg Retreat at Sunnylands on 15-acres adjacent to the historic Sunnylands, 1966 estate
Landscape Architects: The Office of James Burnett, Solana Beach, CA
Inspiration: Vincent van Gogh's Olive Trees (1889)
Art Gardens: nine acres, 1 ¼ miles of walking paths
Plantings: more than 53,000 drought-tolerant and native landscape plants
Species: over 60 species, including 11 kinds of Agave, 3 types of Aloe, 7 varieties of Leucophyllum, 3 kinds of Yucca, numerous cacti and desert milkweed, paloverde trees, a hedge of Texas Ebony, mesquite trees, and a meadow of wildflowers
Cost: $35 million for the new Center and Gardens
Award: 2012 Professional Award, American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA)
In the Words of the Landscape Architect:
"Mrs. Annenberg inspired us to 'push the limits' in the design of these Gardens. She loved beauty…in art, architecture, fashion, and especially in the Gardens."
Related Resources:
- Sunnylands: Art and Architecture of the Annenberg Estate in Rancho Mirage, California, David G. De Long (ed.), University of Pennsylvania Press, 2009
- Plan Your Visit to Sunnylands
- Sunnylands Center & Gardens is Landscape Architecture Magazine's October 2012 Cover Story, The Office of James Burnett
Explore the Landscape of the Annenberg Retreat at Sunnylands:
The Annenberg Retreat at Sunnylands >>>
Sunnylands Center >>>
Sustainability at Sunnylands >>>
Historic Sunnylands, 1966 >>>
Sources: "Always Sunny" by Bradford McKee, Landscape Architecture Magazine, vol. 102, no. 10, October 2012, pp. 152-165; Sunnylands at a Glance at sunnylands.org/page/74/fact-sheet; The Gardens at sunnylands.org/page/18/the-gardens; "Sunnylands Center & Gardens Features Nine-Acres Of Beauty" Press Release at sunnylands.org/page/131/press-kit [websites accessed February 17, 2013]
Rancho Mirage, California is blessed with 300 sunny days a year—lots of solar energy, but not much water. A 21st century emphasis on sustainable development replaced the technologies used at the original Sunnylands, 1966. Environmental sensitivity has replaced old ways methods that today are often considered excessive, unsustainable, and even damaging to the environment.
Today, Sunnylands chooses brightly-colored drought-tolerant and native plants and a below-ground irrigation system.
These choices alone save more than one million gallons of water each year compared with older operational methods.
Green Technology at Sunnylands:
Solar Energy: 864 photovoltaic solar collectors are mounted on 250-foot-long aluminum structures to supply electricity for the new Center and Gardens
Geothermal Energy: 96 geothermal wells (396 feet below the Great Lawn) supply heat and air conditioning to the Center
Water Conservation: 60 acres of tall grasses and mulch replaced turf on Sunnylands Golf Course. The new desert landscape uses no more than 20% of the permissible water locally regulated.
Irrigation: low-water-use Kapillary Irrigation Sub-Surface System (KISSS™)
Awards: LEED Gold (2011)
Commitment to Sustainability:
Sunnylands operates under this Green Vision statement: "Environmental responsibility is a core value of The Annenberg Foundation Trust at Sunnylands. Embracing creative and innovative solutions is central to the Sunnylands culture. We strive to be a leader in implementing sustainable practices to meet our current needs without compromising the environment for future generations. Sharing our environmental experiences with the public broadens the impact of our actions.
"
Explore the Landscape of the Annenberg Retreat at Sunnylands:
The Annenberg Retreat at Sunnylands >>>
Sunnylands Center >>>
Sunnylands Art Gardens >>>
Historic Sunnylands, 1966 >>>
Sources: Green Vision at sunnylands.org/page/26/green-vision; Sunnylands at a Glance at sunnylands.org/page/74/fact-sheet; "Sunnylands Institutes Green Vision Program" Press Release at sunnylands.org/page/131/press-kit; "The Annenberg Retreat At Sunnylands Dedicated February 2012" Press Release at sunnylands.org/page/131/press-kit [Websites accessed February 14, 2013]