THE JOHN BAKEWELL PHILLIPS HOUSE, 1906

\ RECENTLY FEATURED

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\ ARCHITECTS

Charles and Henry Greene, 1906

\ LOCATION

Pasadena, CA

\ SCOPE

The opportunity to design a garden for one of the most famous and influential of California’s early architects was both a daunting and exhilarating task. After being published in Sunset Magazine for the “Craftsman Style Garden” that I designed in South Pasadena, I received a call from a young couple who had recently purchased the renowned John Bakewell Phillips House, one of the Greene Brothers’ early masterpieces in Pasadena

The majority of the Greene and Greene homes that I was familiar with already had quite extensive hardscape elements in the front garden, such as wide-curving brick walkways and hefty pilasters crafted from arroyo boulders and ginger brick. These architectural elements helped effect the transition from looming façade to the sidewalk. In contrast, the John Bakewell Phillips house only had one straight narrow brick path that connected at a right angle to the driveway. To enter this imposing home, one had to walk all the way up the long driveway, which I felt was neither convenient nor particularly inviting.

My goal was threefold; create a pedestrian entrance from the sidewalk, create a visual transition by means of both plant material and hardscape elements from house to street, and perhaps most importantly, design a garden that would look as if it were original to this historic home.