The Sherman Library & Gardens’ ceremonial groundbreaking for a $17-million revitalization project made possible by the “Grow the Gardens” capital campaign drew nearly 100 supporters Thursday to an event that also celebrated the cultural center’s 60-year anniversary.
“We are at $16.5 million as of groundbreaking and we’re hoping to close the gap very soon afterwards,” announced Scott LaFleur, who has served as the Sherman’s executive director for 11 years.
LaFleur, with a background in landscape design and public gardens experience, believes Sherman Library & Gardens has been an unpolished jewel in Corona del Mar.
“We started the capital campaign in 2022 after spending more than five years thinking about and planning [it],” said LaFleur. “We wanted to carry the history forward with the right development.”
A rendering shows the proposed redesign of the Sherman Library & Garden’s front entrance in Corona del Mar, featuring a bell tower with a Spanish-tiled room.
(Courtesy of the Sherman Library and Gardens)
Infrastructure improvement updates include new pipes, electrical work and walkways leading to buildings.
“All are needed to be upgraded to meet today’s standards, safety, and be accessible to everyone,” LaFleur explained. “Even with past modifications introduced over the years, not all buildings were handicap-accessible.”
LaFleur assured the center’s classes and events will remain open during construction to keep the community engaged and able to continue viewing the ever-changing garden displays. Moving forward following the revitalization there will be increased programming and events throughout the year.
Sherman Gardens Library & Gardens Executive Director Scott LaFleur addresses Sherman supporters Thursday.
(Susan Hoffman)
Janet and Walkie Ray, who serve on the Sherman’s board of trustees, were instrumental in setting the foundation on behalf of the Grow the Gardens capital campaign.
“I grew up up in Corona del Mar and as a young adult I saw these pretty gardens that were developing,” recalled Janet Ray, who visited and participated in events there with her kids over the years. “I knew this was a little gem developing right in the heart of the city.”
She recalled the ongoing discussions about a renaissance of the gardens even before she and her husband, a developer, were approached to become involved in the process.
Grow the Garden donors Janet and Walkie Ray, seated, were taken by surprise by the dedication in their name of the Ancient Plant House to include a butterfly wing mosaic.
(Susan Hoffman)
“I found it a source of energy for me to become more and more involved,” said Janet Ray, who became the campaign chairman. “The whole thing is like a tapestry, the beauty of the botanical gardens, the library, and the new bell tower.”
She said she finds the bell tower inviting and that her husband, as a builder, noted the entrance “is the point of contact, similar to a house or restaurant. Currently you drive by and don’t know it’s [Sherman] there, it’s unrecognizable from the outside,” she said about the planned new front door along Pacific Coast Highway.
The bell tower entrance is made possible by a donation from Julia Argyros.
“What really drew me [to work on the capital campaign] was that the community needs something to enrich it, so I see the revitalization as a real key to that,” said Janet Ray. “It’s a cultural hub and gem for our community and I want it to become a destination within our community and outside it as well.”
The butterfly wings mosaic presented Thursday to the Rays will be on permanent display post-construction in the Janet and Walkie Ray Ancient Plant House.
(Susan Hoffman)
Newport Beach resident Dave Lamb said four generations of his family have been visiting the garden since the 1970s, when his family moved to California.
“We would take photos, enjoy the beautiful flowers and gardens, have lunches and participate mostly that way,” said Lamb, who with his wife Pat is a donor to the capital campaign. “It was a gathering place for our family including my parents, in-laws , kids and grandkids and is something we wanted to support.”
“When the Grow the Gardens [fundraising effort] came along we felt we should and wanted to participate in the capital campaign and help with construction costs and to make the campaign a success,” Lamb said. “They are on their way to start construction which is exciting to see.”
Lamb added that the revitalization project has been well managed.
“We appreciate them and they are really a class organization,” he said.
Orange County Supervisor Katrina Foley, left, in blue jacket, was among the guests at the Grow the Garden groundbreaking Thursday at Sherman Library & Gardens.
(Susan Hoffman)
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