Quick answer
The Huntington Library Los Angeles guide covers a collections-based institution founded in nineteen nineteen by Henry E. Huntington and Arabella Huntington. It sits in San Marino, California, with about one hundred twenty acres of botanical gardens, plus rare books, manuscripts, and art. Listen for the library building, the Japanese Garden, and the Desert Garden.
Full transcript
The Founder's Estate
Henry E. Huntington founded The Huntington in nineteen nineteen with Arabella Huntington. The library building was completed in nineteen twenty, and its main reading room serves as an exhibition hall. Before the institution existed, Huntington had acquired the six hundred acre San Marino Ranch in nineteen hundred three. He was born in eighteen fifty and died in nineteen twenty-seven, and his railroad, land, and utility work helped shape Southern California. The estate overlooks the San Gabriel Valley, so scan the horizon before entering. Stand at the front of the library building and look for the bronze doors.
The Library of Libraries
Henry and Arabella Huntington were avid collectors of rare books, manuscripts, and artwork. Henry's purchases included the Wilberforce Eames collection of over twelve thousand early American imprints and the Bridgewater Family Library, which held four thousand four hundred printed books and nearly twelve thousand manuscripts, including the Ellesmere Chaucer. The Church Library brought twelve Shakespeare folios and thirty-seven quartos into the collection. The institution's art focus includes eighteenth and nineteenth century European art and seventeenth to mid twentieth century American art. Walk through the library and look for the Ellesmere Chaucer.
Gardens and the San Gabriel Valley
The Huntington rests on two hundred seven acres, and more than one hundred twenty acres are specialized botanical landscaped gardens. Henry's love of botany led him to add gardens to the ranch, while Arabella favored the lily ponds. The named highlights include the Japanese Garden, the Desert Garden, and the Chinese Garden. Many plants, flowers, and trees were imported from other continents. The couple married in nineteen thirteen, and Arabella spent only two months each year at the San Marino estate. Walk toward the lily ponds and look for the water's reflection among the plantings.