2026 Annual ASLA Excursion: Los Angeles, CA

The Hill, South Pasadena, CA - Photo by Charles A. Birnbaum, 2017

The Cultural Landscape Foundation (TCLF), in conjunction with the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) Conference on Landscape Architecture, will host a day-long excursion in Pasadena on Tuesday, September 15. TCLF’s annual, curated excursions to exceptional examples of landscape architecture and design are eagerly anticipated, extremely popular, and always sell out months in advance.

The Hill, South Pasadena, CA - Photo by Charles A. Birnbaum, 2017

The day will start at The Hill. Over the last four decades, Paul Casebeer has transformed his home from a barren landscape into a living work of art. Once populated by dilapidated buildings and broken water lines and infested with poison oak, the property has been completely reimagined as a lush garden filled with rare and exotic plants, including South African cycads, many varieties of aloe, mature specimens of Phoenix reclinata, and hundreds of other hard-to-find succulents and drought-tolerant species. Paul designed and built by hand an array of fantastical architectural elements - sinuous walls of tile and clinker bricks with a spouting, copper-encrusted dragon; roads composed of mosaic tiles and hundreds of found manhole covers; and secret alcoves with views across the San Gabriel Valley. A grotto-like pool is carved into the hillside and walls and the structural elements are encrusted with a riot of stone, mosaic and masonry whimsy. The primary residence is a Craftsmen bungalow designed by Fred Byers, an architectural designer who designed homes in Victoria Park in the West Adams District, Clifton-by-the-Sea in Redondo Beach, Ramona Acres (present day Monterey Park), and Casa Verdugo in Glendale.

The Hill, South Pasadena, CA - Photo by Charles A. Birnbaum, 2017

Revered as the crown jewel of the Caltech campus, the excursion’s lunch stop, the Athenaeum, was designed by English-born architect Gordon B. Kaufmann in 1930 as a place for renowned thinkers and scholars, including Albert Einstein and several other Nobel laureates, to gather and share ideas. Over the last 95 years, its ornate Mediterranean-style halls and lush grounds—created by landscape designers Florence Yoch and Lucille Council—have hosted countless formal dinners, philanthropic events, and celebrations, cementing its reputation as the premier heart of academic camaraderie.

Hindry House, Pasadena, CA - Photo by Charles A. Birnbaum

The tour will conclude at the Hindry House. LGLA thoughtfully revitalized this landscape surrounding a 1910 Mission Revival home originally designed by Heineman Heineman. The Hindry House was the firm's first major commission and highlights many distinctive design features that would become common in future projects. While Heineman and Heineman were responsible for thousands of projects throughout California, the Hindry House is one of only twenty in Pasadena. In 1970, the owners, Dr. Albert Hibbs, “the voice of JPL,” and his wife, Marka Hibbs, commissioned Courtland Paul to design a swimming pool. The naturalistic swimming pool, designed to be a place for the family to learn to scuba dive, was critical to the evolution of the style. According to the California Preservation Foundation, “The Hibbs pool is considered pivotal in Paul’s career, a landmark on his path to becoming a globally recognized resort designer.”

Starting with a Cultural Landscape Report, LGLA explored these two periods of significance. Using that report as a jumping off point, LGLA was able to balance this site’s history with the contemporary needs of the current owners, including addressing drainage issues and creating a more drought-tolerant landscape that honors the original plant palette. LGLA’s thoughtful report and design won this project a 2018 Preservation Design Award from the California Preservation Foundation.

Space is strictly limited, and this event will sell out. Transportation is provided.

LA CES™ professional development hours will be available to attendees, pending approval.

Refund Policy

Cancellations and Refunds will be granted according to the following schedule:

Up to days (30) weeks in advance: 50% (Deduction represents administrative processing fees)

No refunds will be made for cancellations twently-nine (29) days prior to event

No refunds will be made for “No Shows” (a person who registers for a program but who does not cancel registration or attend the program).

Refunds will be processed as they are received or after the conclusion of the program, depending on the program date and when cancellation occurs. Refunds may take five (5) to seven (7) business days to process.

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Host or Publisher The Cultural Landscape Foundation