Palm Springs: The Sunnylands Center

The former Annenberg Estate’s public educational center, run by The Annenberg Foundation and Trust is known as the Sunnylands Center. The Center totals 15 acres and includes 9 acres of desert gardens designed by landscape architect James Burnett. The gardens and public spaces are laid out with mass plantings of cacti and bromeliads and Desert Museum Palo Verde trees, reportedly in total more than 50,000 as well as stainless steel water features (reflection pools). There is also a dedicated rose garden with over 100 varieties of roses, many of them named for dignitaries and former first ladies such as Barbara Bush and Nancy Reagan.

“As you move through the landscape, you are aware of being under the dappled shade, next to the water; you hear the sounds, hear and feel the gravel underfoot. The experience should transport you from the everyday world. We want people to come away with a ‘wow.’ ” 
James Burnett 
Landscape Architect

The center itself (designed by Frederick Fisher and Partners) has a spectacular lava-brick rock wall in the main lobby inspired also by the Mayan influence of the pyramids of Chichen Itza of Quintana Roo in Mexico. This was clearly incorporated to invoke a modernist connection with the main residence and the guest cottages of the rest of the estate.

View the construction of the Sunnylands Center in this youtube clip.

From the office of James Burnett: “Sustainability figured prominently into planning and design of the project and the Center has achieved LEED Gold Certification. In addition to the selection of regionally-appropriate plants, the project features a desert habitat, high-efficiency capillary irrigation system, soil moisture monitoring, storm water retention, geothermal wells, a solar field, and a green waste recycling program. The project also proactively meets the specifications and requirements for the use of reclaimed water ahead of the implementation of Rancho Mirage’s citywide initiative.”

Sunnylands itself is in many ways a folly, however Leonore Annenberg’s final gift to the public, the Sunnylands Center, showcases creatively thought out solutions to the environment that set a new standard for desert or arid garden design for the future. In that sense the Annenberg legacy is both substantial and successful.