La Caρada Flintridge in Los Angeles County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)
Descanso Gardens
Hilltop Gardens
Photographed by Craig Baker, June 16, 2020
1. Private Estate Becomes Public Treasure
Private estate becomes public treasure
Newspaperman E. Manchester Boddy (1891-1967) purchased the land that is now Descanso Gardens in 1939. The 165-acre Boddy estate became a public botanical garden when LA County acquired it in 1953. Boddy's passion for camellias, roses and lilacs is still evident throughout the Gardens.
Boddy House: A lasting legacy
Soon after purchasing this property in 1939, E. Manchester Boddy hired architect James E. Dolena (1888-1978) to design his dream house. The Boddy family lived here until 1953, when LA County acquired the estate.
Our Storied Past: Echoes of World War II
Our camellias include plants purchased by E. Manchester Boddy from local nurserymen F.M. Uyematsu and F.W. Yoshimura when Japanese Americans were forced into government-run "War Relocation Centers"* during WWII. Hundreds of these camellia plants still thrive at Descanso Gardens today.
*War Relocation Center: From 1942 to 1945, ten remote centers imprisoned 120,000 people of Japanese ancestry who were forcibly removed from the West Coast. Two-thirds were US citizens; none were ever convicted of a war-related crime. Learn more at the Japanese American National Museum (www.janm.org).
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Location. 34° 11.917′ N, 118° 12.597′ W. Marker is in La Caρada Flintridge, California, in Los Angeles County. It can be reached from Descanso Drive 0.1 miles south of Verdugo Boulevard, on the right when traveling south. The marker is located inside the park, open daily 9-5. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1418 Descanso Drive, La Canada Flintridge CA 91011, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Greater Los Angeles and in the Transverse Ranges. It is also on the American Pacific Coast. Globally, it is in North America, on the Ring of Fire, in the Pacific Rim, in the Western Hemisphere, in the Western World, and in the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain and also Mexicos Alta California.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Japanese Garden (about 600 feet away, measured in a direct line); a
Photographed by Craig Baker, June 16, 2020
2. Boddy House: A Lasting Legacy
Also see . . . Descanso Gardens. (Submitted on July 9, 2020.)
Photographed by Craig Baker, June 16, 2020
3. Our Storied Past: Echoes of World War II
Photographed by Craig Baker, June 16, 2020
4. Descanso at a Glance
Photographed by Craig Baker, June 16, 2020
5. Descanso Gardens Marker
Photographed by Craig Baker, June 16, 2020
6. Boddy House
Credits. This page was last revised on January 6, 2026. It was originally submitted on July 9, 2020, by Craig Baker of Sylmar, California. This page has been viewed 1,804 times since then and 153 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on July 9, 2020, by Craig Baker of Sylmar, California. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.
