Self-Guided Tour
- Entrance
This location is the historic entry to Sunnyside, a family estate dating back to the 1830s, and it has continued to be the main entry to the Marin Art and Garden Center. The Center was established in 1945 by a group of arts and gardening organizations; its first president was Caroline Livermore. The group secured lands that had been owned by the Worn and Kittle families, forming the basis for the 11 acres that now comprise the grounds.
Take a moment to orient yourself—you can usually find the large map on an A-frame here at the junction of the main paths. To your right is The Studio, straight ahead are paths towards the Fountain Pond and the Barn beyond, and bearing left will take you to the Main Office, the Rose Garden, and the Livermore Pavilion.
Walk through the Habitat Garden
Take the small path just off the main parking lot through the grassy area to your left. At the Habitat Pond, take a left along the brick path.
2. English Oak & Butterfly Cottage
This 63″ diameter English oak (Quercus robur) is a magnet for photographs and presides over the southern end of the property. The origins of this majestic tree are murky; some versions of the story say it was planted by George Worn in the 1880s, while others say it was planted by Thomas Berry in honor of this brother Tiernan.
The sweet little house under the oak is known as the Butterfly Cottage. It first arrived at the center in the early 1950s as an exhibit in the Marin Art and Garden Fair, then was acquired by the Northgate Group for an antiques shop, then used as a storage shed on the opposite side of the grounds. In the late 70s, the building was moved to its present location, where it currently serves as an outpost for the Center’s garden team, and anchors the propagation area and greenhouse.
Walk over the bridge to The Studio
3. The Studio
Walk back across the smaller parking lot to the lawn area
4. Gazebo and lawn
This expanse of lawn is a favorite spot for visitors, providing a tranquil vantage point to watch the comings and goings around the grounds. In the summer, this space is transformed by our beloved Summer Concerts, enjoyed by hundreds of guests each Thursday in July and August. On Saturdays, many couples choose this spot for their wedding ceremony, as the Center is one of the county’s best venues for celebrations of all kinds.
5. Dawn Redwood
Looking to your right, behind the white gazebo is our 45” diameter deciduous Dawn Redwood (Metasequoia glyptostroboides), planted in 1954.
The Dawn Redwood is one of very few conifers to lose its foliage in winter, when it turns a beautiful bronze color. Our tree was donated by Ward Montague in memory of his wife Alice; lore has it that the sapling was thought to have died, and was tossed on a compost heap only to be rescued when new growth started to sprout.
Walk up the path, keeping to the right
Take a right when you come to the fenced-in Edible Garden, the gate is open from 9 am to 4 pm most weekdays.
6. Edible Garden
You are welcome to enter the Edible Garden, our demonstration and teaching space that is fenced in to keep deer from enjoying the harvest. It was constructed in 2013 with funding from the Ross Auxiliary and was designed by Fairchild Broms Design. Now our garden team plants crops each season that reflect and give back to the community, through education and harvests. Be sure to check the signboard that our Garden Manager keeps updated with the latest on what’s sowing and growing.
Return to the main path
7. Magnolia Circle
On your left is the unmistakable Magnolia Grove. This circle of Magnolia grandiflora is the secondary growth from the roots of a mother tree that fell in 2006. The original tree was planted by the Worn Family in 1870 as the centerpiece of the circular carriage path at the foot of their house.
Continue along the main path
8. Giant Sequoia
To your right is the Sequoiadendron giganteum, which was transplanted from the Yosemite Valley by the Worn family in the 1880s. This tree is out of its native range and struggles here in the Ross Valley; its domed shape is premature, as doming typically takes place when these trees are 1000 years old.
9. Black Pine
This female Pinus thunbergii is about 50 years old. These trees can live 300 years, and we are striving for that, it is expertly pruned with the help of the Merritt College Pruning Guild. Its cones are 1″ to 3″ long.
Take a right towards the Fountain Pond
10. Bottle House
Look to your right, through the planted beds, to catch sight of the whimsical gingerbread cottage that is named for the glass bottles that are set in among the bricks and mortar. It was designed by Ray Olson (also spelled Oleson) as a ticket booth for the Marin Art and Garden Fair in 1948. Olson was not an architect but designed and built several houses in Marin in what he called “Timbrick.” The Bottle House was later used by the Northgate Group as an antiques shop, and remains a charming backdrop for a photo shoot.
11. Fountain Pond
This is the location of the original house of the Worn family; when the Kittle family purchased the Worn estate in 1882, the house was modified. When the house burned in the early 1930s, it led to the subdivision and proposed sale of the entire property, which was the impetus for Caroline Livermore and the group of conservation-minded women to found Marin Art and Garden Center in 1945.
The water feature at this location was originally a small pool installed by Robert Graves, San Anselmo contractor; in 1960 for a Florentine fountain that was donated to the Center. The decorative fountain was present until at least 1965. A small pool with spray fountain remained until the larger pool was constructed in 1976 with design by Richard Hein. In the spring, a mallard duck couple often takes up residence, and in summer, our water lilies bloom in various colors.
Continue around the Fountain Pond
Take a right and go up the set of wooden stairs. At the top of the stairs, bear right.
12. The Barn
This structure is part of the original Kittle family estate. Modified throughout the years, the basic form and structure of the original barn built in the 1860s are still visible. The Ross Valley Players have been producing works of community theater in the Barn since 1939.
Cross the parking lot to your right
Look up on the hillside to the right of the Barn. You will see a sign and a small path.
13. Basketry Garden
This garden features over seventy species of plants traditionally used in basketry or cordage-making—most of them Californian natives. It was inspired by an existing natural patch of whiteroot sedge (Carex barbarae), a grass-like plant long used by the Pomo and other central Californian tribes in making extremely fine basketry. The garden is intended to display a variety of plants used by Native basket weavers, demonstrate traditional cultivation and harvesting practices, and to be a minor source of basketry materials.
Charlie Kennard of San Anselmo, the creator of the garden, offers tours of the garden to basketry students and other interested adults—and frequently to incidental visitors to that part of the Center when he is on site.
Go up the ramp at the far end of the parking lot
14. Redwood Amphitheater
The Redwood Amphitheater was constructed in 1948, and various renovations have occurred over the years., most recently in 2022 to make the site more accessible. The Haydite seat walls were added in 1964 as a memorial to Herman Hein, Landscape Architect. This rustic and breezy spot is now used for concerts and shorter productions in the summer.
Return the way you came
Go back past the Barn and down the stairs to the Fountain Pond.
15. Memory Garden & Kent sculptures
The Memory Garden was constructed between 1948 and 1953 by the Marin Garden Club, which continues to maintain it. There are two sculptures by Adeline Kent Howard: “Reclining Lady” and nearby, behind the Octagon House, “Standing Lady.” This peaceful oasis draws visitors to enjoy the benches among evergreen plantings.
16. Octagon House
The Octagon House, built in 1864 for the Worn family, started simply as a pump house for a well. It also served as temporary residence for the Worn family as they built their house on the Center site.
Once the Center was established, the building served as an office, antiques shop and restaurant before it was remodeled as the Jose Moya del Pino Library in 1969. At that time, it was moved from what is now the Rose Garden site to its current location.
Today, the Octagon House continues to house the Moya Library, and will be developed into a visitors’ center in the future.
17. Mission Pear Tree
The Mission Pear tree is located to the right of the front door of the Octagon House. It is a graft from the last pear tree in the orchard of Mission San Rafael, and was planted here in 1969. The original tree from which the graft came was planted in 1817! Our pear is in a slow state of decline but not to worry—more grafts have been made to ensure the line’s survival. This is an important tree in our community.
Walk out to the main path
18. Rose Garden
One of the site’s notable specialty gardens, the Rose Garden was installed in 2004. The Marin Rose Society volunteers designed and planted the more than 150 specimens, which are labeled with identifying information. Plants were donated by a number of local nurseries. The collection includes climbers, hybrid teas and floribundas, English roses, miniatures, shrub and old garden roses.
The Rose Garden is maintained without the use of pesticides, like all the gardens at the Center. The decorative wrought iron fence protects plants and flowers from hungry deer. The roses generally peak in May, but many varieties bloom continuously—and gloriously— through the summer months and into autumn. The canes are pruned back in February.
19. Northgate Building
This mid-Century classic was built in 1955 for the Northgate Group to house their antiques and “Best from Britain” shops, as well as the Marin County Fair office. The structure was designed and was part of the Master Plan by Wurster, Bernardi and Emmons. It is is an example of the unpretentious, simple forms of Emmons’ design aesthetic. The shed roof, large expanses of glass and expressed structural frame are typical of the Bay Region style of the period. The Center was named to the National Register of Historic Places as a site exemplifying this era.
Over the years, the building has served as Center offices, meeting rooms, Fair exhibition space and rented space.
Follow the path past the Octagon House to the right
Then take a left along the flagstone path to the gravel area
20. Livermore Pavilion
Named for Caroline Livermore, one of the founders of the Marin Art and Garden Center, this building was part of the 1957 master plan developed by noted architectural firm Wurster, Bernardi and Emmons. The space is currently used for events ranging from weddings and memorials to community meetings and history programs. The structure was a continuation of the Bay Region style seen in the Northgate Building: exposed structure, redwood plywood siding, and expansive glass.
Go down the ramp to your left
Continue under the breezeway bordering the Rose Garden and back towards the main path.
21. Main Office
This structure was designed by Wurster, Bernardi and Emmons for the Decorations Guild in 1959. It now houses both the Center’s Main Office and the Events Office, and is the final stop on your tour. From here you can return to the parking lot (with a stop at the restrooms if needed!) by crossing the footbridge and exiting through the arbor across the courtyard, or continue to enjoy the gardens as long as you wish.
