Grow the Gardens Campaign

To Grow the Gardens means welcoming more visitors; offering more community services and educational programs; supporting more local artists, authors, and performers; and celebrating more seasons of life with the families of Orange County.

Our Roots

The Sherman Library & Gardens has been deeply rooted in Orange County for over half of a century, serving the community as a sanctuary and educational beacon of horticulture, history, and art. Founded in 1966 by Arnold Haskell, and named for his friend and mentor, Moses Hazeltine Sherman, this iconic institution serves as a guardian of regional history and artifacts, a living library of plants both native and exotic, and a conservator of artistic works influenced by and produced in the Pacific Southwest.

“Gardens are not static; they are always in motion responding to wind, water, and sunlight. We expect the same of an organization that strives to serve its community as we do.”

Scott LaFleur
Executive Director of Sherman Library & Gardens

Our Growth

With your help over the next three years, Sherman Library & Gardens will renovate, reconfigure, and reimagine the property to better meet the growing need.

• To provide the community with a world-class cultural hub. The Newport Beach and Corona Del Mar communities have world-class healthcare, world-class beaches, a world-class university, and world-class real estate. They deserve a world-class cultural hub.
• To enhance visibility of Sherman Library & Gardens as the gateway to Newport Beach and Corona del Mar, making residents and businesses proud.
• To increase the beauty and charm of the Corona del Mar Village for all residents and improve the property values within the surrounding neighborhood.
• To engage a new generation with an understanding and appreciation for the beauty and history of the Pacific Southwest through Sherman Library & Gardens’ enhanced education programs.

Leave a lasting legacy and help us Grow the Gardens by pledging your support

“We feel a sense of personal peace and growth from unexpected new discoveries each time we visit the Sherman Library & Gardens. It’s a secret treasure that needs to be shared more with our community.”
Janet Ray
Co-Chair of Campaign Committee and Board of Trustees

Flanked by formidable walls, the front entrance along Pacific Coast Highway is not easily accessible nor visible. The new bell tower entrance and wrought iron fencing will create a gorgeous and welcoming frontage with an open yet secure enclosure that allows the community to enjoy the beauty of the gardens from along the Pacific Coast Highway, highlighting both the historical relevance and enduring beauty of the property. Sherman Library & Gardens provides a doorway into the original beauty and natural history of the community. The “new front door” opens that view for all to see.

The relocation of the Garden-to-Table restaurant to Pacific Coast Highway creates additional opportunities to engage with the community, and provides increased financial stability, ensuring the long-term success of Sherman Library & Gardens for the community. This relocation will allow for a natural integration of the gardens and the surrounding Village, allowing people to be drawn into the gardens from another access point. The Community Building, previously shared with the restaurant, will now be used full-time for programs and classes, expanding the programs and impacting more people through educational and artistic experiences.

With annual attendance increasing by over 50% in the last few years, the outdated facilities and current campus configuration do not meet the growing needs for Sherman Library & Gardens’ vibrant cultural and education programming. The reconfigured and renovated facilities will increase capacity by 25% to meet the continuously growing demand for education programs and advance Sherman Library & Gardens as a world-class cultural hub. It is an oasis accessible to the entire community.

Your Legacy

How will your donation to Grow the Gardens help to create better outcomes for the community?

• Sherman Library & Gardens’ new education space and programs will enhance the community’s encounter with the botanical and historical wonder of the Pacific Southwest.
• The tropical conservatory and the shade house, both used extensively in the education programs, will be renovated to protect the health of the valuable orchid collections.
• The lives of over 10,000 more students from pre-school to life-long learners will be improved each year.
• Sherman Library & Gardens is devoted to showcasing Global Beauty (horticulture and arts) and Local History (library) like nowhere else in Orange County.
• These improvements will make Sherman Library & Gardens the most accessible and walkable botanical garden in Southern California, enabling its visitors to see a vast array of global beauty on a calm and relaxing stroll.
• The 3,000 member households and 8,000 individual members of the Sherman Library & Gardens will greatly benefit from the increased accessibility, renovated amenities, and enhanced program offerings improving their overall health and well-being.

Together, we will plant the seeds, grow the garden, and leave a legacy for generations to come.

The original endowment from the Sherman Foundation was purposely restricted to routine operating expenses including maintenance, ensuring that any capital changes to the property would require community approval, engagement, and investment. In so doing, the Foundation has ensured that the Sherman Library & Gardens belongs to the community and remains subject to its collective desires.
  
Therefore, with gratitude, the institution humbly calls upon its members, the residents of Corona del Mar, and the community at large to help Grow the Gardens into a living oasis of horticulture, history, and art for all for generations to come.

Your Generosity

You are invited to help Grow the Gardens. 

Those who support the Grow the Gardens Campaign are making a tax-deductible investment in the cultural, historical, and natural landscape of this beautiful community. You are supporting the incredible improvements to a cherished non-profit and public asset. The results will blossom immediately and for generations to come!

Grow the Gardens Campaign donors will receive a unique set of recognition and benefits based on the Grow the Garden Donor levels. A unique set of naming opportunities has been designed within the Gardens to recognize those at the Transform to Thrive recognition levels. Additionally, all donors at or above the Flourish level will be recognized on the beautifully designed donor wall, adjacent to the Bell Tower, at Pacific Coast Highway.

“Just a wall away from the busy Pacific Coast Highway is a magical space that provides beauty, nature, and best of all a moment to feel calm and peaceful.” 
Amy Uyemura
Board of Governors

For more information, please contact: