Virginia Robinson Gardens

Beverly Hills, California, United States

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Virginia Robinson Gardens in Beverly Hills is the city's earliest estate, built in 1911 as the private residence of Virginia Dryden Robinson and her husband Harry Winchester Robinson, heir to the J.W. Robinson department stores.

The Beaux Arts style mansion was designed by Virginia’s father, architect Nathaniel Dryden. The estate transformed what was once barren barley fields into a lush, terraced garden landscape featuring heirloom and exotic plants, including a vast king palm forest and giant banyan trees with dramatic aerial roots, some stretching up to 30 feet. Its Italian Terrace Garden, completed in 1935, spans over two acres with formal brick-paved terraces, ornamental fountains, and water features.

Virginia Robinson was known as the "first lady of Beverly Hills," hosting lavish parties attended by royalty and Hollywood legends. The gardens are now a historic site, open to the public by guided tour, showcasing both horticultural beauty and the social history of early Beverly Hills, maintaining original architectural details and the Robinson family's legacy of gracious living.