Not To Miss: The 2012 Venice Garden and Home Tour – May 5th, 2012

2012 April 26

by MODERNICA

Photo: Eric Staudenmaier

The 2012 Venice Garden and Home Tour will take tour-goers to Venice neighborhoods east of Lincoln Boulevard and into the Gregory Ain tract in Mar Vista. This eagerly anticipated garden tour gives visitors a look at intriguing gardens and architectural gems hidden behind gates and hedges and features homes from Venice’s historic past and the latest trends in landscaping and contemporary architecture.

Photo: Eric Staudenmaier

Tour-goers will walk, ride or bike through quiet, sun-drenched neighborhoods nearby, but distinctly, different from the bustling beach community. This neighborhood of wide streets and generous lots, where celery and bean fields were once farmed by the Japanese before World War II, is a unique reflection of the California dream.

Photo: Joe Fletcher

The tour will include contemporary homes and gardens by some of Los Angeles’ innovative homeowners and architects including Tom Carson, Dennis Gibbens, Daniel Monti, Santiago Ortiz and Ron Radziner and by landscape designers Russ Cletta, Jay Griffith, Rob Jones, and Suzanne McKevitt, among others.

Venice residents set the trends with unique use of space and materials, make and display art to enrich their lives, and take pride in generously opening their gardens to visitors. Several artists’ studios will be open, including Cheri Pann and Ganzalo’s delightful “Mosaic Tile House.”

Photo: Eric Staudenmaier

A feature of this year’s garden tour will be the architecturally significant Gregory Ain tract, a “Utopian” enclave of 52 modest one story homes from 1948 tucked into Mar Vista. Landscape architect Garrett Eckbo planted rows of trees to create a streetscape that unifies the neighborhood and gives it a park-like atmosphere. Enjoy the day and meander through the various gardens and homes on this exceptional tour. Purchase your tickets here…