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Donnell Garden

None
Good
  • California Modernism
  • Identity of Building/Site
  • History of Building/Site
  • Evaluation

Donnell Garden

Site overview

Landscape architect Thomas Church, with Lawrence Halprin and architect George Rockrise, designed the Donnell Garden in Sonoma for the family of Dewey and Jean Donnell; today the garden is a Modernist icon and one of the best preserved examples of its time. The family chose as a location a favorite place on their cattle ranch for picnicking, a hillside overlooking the northern extensions of San Francisco Bay. Completed in 1948, the garden was soon famous for its unusual, abstracted forms. Frequently photographed, it came to stand for a modern style of California living that took place both indoors and outdoors, with fluid transitions between these equally important places. Designed at a time in which California’s economy was booming and its population rapidly increasing, Church conceived a garden offering places to relax, entertain, swim, play, garden and barbeque. At the Donnell garden, Church responded to the particular characteristics of site and client while exploring new forms. Of particular note was the biomorphic kidney-shaped pool; its Adaline Kent sculpture which functions both as a focal point and a tiny, inhabitable island; and the floating deck, designed with a checkerboard of wooden boards that preserved existing trees while extending the outdoor living space. (Cultural Landscape Foundation)

How to Visit

Private gardens

Location

Sonoma County, CA, 95476

Country

US

Case Study House No. 21

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Designer(s)

Lawrence Halprin

Nationality

American

Thomas Church

George Rockrise

Other designers

Thomas D. Church, landscape architectLawrence Halprin, landscape architectGeorge Rockrise, architect-pool house/lanaiAustin Pierpoint, architect-main house

Related chapter

Northern California

Commission

1947

Completion

1952

Commission / Completion details

Commission 1947(e), completion 1948-1952(e)

Current Use

Owned by daughter, Sandra Donnell as second home.

Current Condition

Excellent. church used good materials and construction practices. They have a full-time gardener and the planting has been well maintained. Loss of a few oak trees due to irrigation.

General Assessment

The garden has become the ultimate icon for the American private garden. The design is one of the finest examples of the integration of site and landscape. It incorporated all of the axioms for a modern landscape and established a new, modern vocabulary in a dynamic composition. Most importantly, it was designed intimately for the client and family, while capturing and enhancing the dramatic views, rolling hills, meandering marsh, and existing oak trees within its design.

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