[Noozhawk’s note: First in a series sponsored by the Hutton Parker Foundation.]
Nestled in a Montecito neighborhood, Ganna Walska Lotusland has quietly established itself as a prominent destination for botanical enthusiasts and horticulture devotees, since opening its doors to the public three decades ago.
But before this former estate of well-known opera singer and socialite, Madame Ganna Walska, was transformed into one of the world’s most beautiful gardens, it had a varied history.
It has been a private home, commercial nursery, guest ranch, and even a school.
But to begin the story of Lotusland, executive director Rebecca Anderson told Noozhawk it’s important to acknowledge the Chumash people who first inhabited the land of this region.
Ralph Kinton Stevens took ownership of the property in the 1880s, naming it Tanglewood, and using the space as a commercial nursery.
“Stevens is an important part of Lotusland’s history,” Anderson said, “because he, along with famous neighbors, like Francesco Franceschi, were experimenting with plant material, soil fertility, climate impacts, and the responsiveness of plants.”
Stevens also planted many of the mature trees that remain an integral part of Lotusland today. In fact, Stevens’ original seed catalogue can be viewed at the gardens.
“What I love about the property is that every owner has had a distinct and significant contribution that remains part of the grounds today,” Anderson observed.
After Stevens died, his widow operated the 37-acre property as a guest ranch, leasing it to a school and then eventually renting it out to winter visitors before selling it 17 years later.
In 1916, Erastus Palmer Gavit and his wife, Marie Turner Gavit, left behind their affluent life in Albany, New York, and acquired Tanglewood.
This became significant to Santa Barbara’s philanthropic history, as Gavit was Ann Jackson’s father. The family foundation that would later be established in Ann’s name has contributed $100 million to local nonprofit organizations since its inception 46 years ago.
Gavit was also philanthropic and active in the community, helping to start the Santa Barbara Foundation and The Valley Club of Montecito.
Jim Jackson, Gavit’s great-grandson, reflected on the family history.
“My great-grandmother was killed in a train crash in 1912, when my grandmother, Ann Jackson, was just 6 years old,” he shared.
“Subsequently, a few years later, my great-grandfather, Erastus, married Marie Turner. It’s speculated that tensions arising from his remarriage led them to leave New York and relocate to California.”
Once in California, the couple hired architect Reginald Johnson, who completed the main house in 1920, when it became known as Cuesta Linda.
Five years later, George Washington Smith constructed the Spanish Colonial revival-style buildings, including the perimeter wall, the Pavilion, stable, swimming pool and several other outbuildings.
It’s the Pavilion that holds special meaning to the Jackson descendants, as this was the building where their grandmother lived for several years.
“Our grandmother wasn’t crazy about her stepmom,” Palmer Jackson Jr. said. “So, they built Ann her own annex, known as the Pavilion, giving her separate space.”
As it turned out, Ann and her stepmom, Marie, reconciled later in life, but this distinct space was an important part of Ann’s teenage years.
Ann Jackson lived at Cuesta Linda until she married in 1926, and even for a short while thereafter waiting for her new home — Rancho San Carlos — to be built. The couple had their wedding reception on the Lotusland property.
Now, nearly a century later, the 100-year-old structure will be renovated, as part of the Lotusland Forever master plan, and the Ann Jackson Family Foundation has pledged a $1 million leadership gift to kick off the campaign.
“It’s come full circle that the Gavit/Jackson family who were the visionary founders of this beautiful estate, and who developed Santa Barbara as early leaders through civic engagement and philanthropy, now have their descendants stewarding the property into its next century,” Anderson said.
Jim Jackson elaborated.
“Our family is naturally interested in preserving the history of a house that has a connection to our family, and also to support the mission of Lotusland, which is a horticultural treasure in our community,” he said of the donation, which he called a “stretch” for the family foundation.
“I think our grandmother would be happy that the house was treated with respect.”
The Pavilion was also an important feature to Lotusland’s next, and arguably, most well-known owner, the Polish opera singer, Madame Ganna Walska.
When Walska purchased the estate from the Gavits in 1941 she chose the 1,200-square-foot Pavilion suite as her private residence.
But it was the gardens that were her passion, and she spent the next 43 years creating “Lotusland” and transforming the property into one of the world’s most treasured and important gardens.
Named for the sacred Indian lotus growing in one of the garden’s ponds, Lotusland spans 37 acres and includes more than 3,700 plant species.
Upon her death in 1984, Walska hoped to leave the garden in her estate to remain a center for horticultural excellence and education.
“Ganna approached local nonprofits, family members and the city (Santa Barbara), offering the gardens as a gift,” Anderson told Noozhawk.
“Each refused her, recognizing that it would take incredible resources to maintain the property and it was just too much for them to contemplate overseeing.”
Ultimately, Lotusland was opened to the public, thanks to Walska’s estate planning attorney, Arthur Gaudi, and a group of community volunteers and friends who were committed and forward-thinking, and established the original foundation to support the opening of Lotusland as a public garden.
It’s been 30 years since that grand opening, and the organization now aims to raise $30 million, with half the funds earmarked to capital improvements for restoration, preservation, upgrades to infrastructure and innovation initiatives.
The balance is intended to grow the endowment, ensuring that Lotusland sustains the legacies of all those generations that came before.
Click here for more information about Lotusland, or click here to make an online donation to Lotusland Forever.
Gifts of $250 or more, received by Dec. 31 for Lotusland’s Gifts for the Garden campaign highlighted in Noozhawk’s Good for Santa Barbara section will be entered into a drawing to win an exclusive nighttime Lotusland Curator’s Tour for up to four guests.
