California Eden: Heritage Landscapes of the Golden State

Rancho Los Alamitos presents

Thursday, August 28, 2025

Doors Open at 5:30 PM; Lecture from 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM

$10 per person. Free for RLA members. Free onsite parking.

There are many untold stories in our built environment. This talk is based on the new book, California Eden: Heritage Landscapes of the Golden State, co-edited by Dr. Christine Edstrom O'Hara and Susan Chamberlin. The speaker, Dr. O’Hara, will look at the history of the state through the lens of cultural landscapes, in other words, landscapes that have been shaped by humans who have left their imprints on the natural world. The talk will examine how the California landscape was transformed by the Indigenous peoples, Spanish colonizers, settlers, nurserymen and women, among others, based on essays in the book. From the estate Green Gables, to Cypress Lawn Cemetery in San Mateo County, to the Japanese American gardens of San Diego, the essays speak to design as well as the challenges of historic preservation of these-often ephemeral places.

About the speaker: Christine Edstrom O’Hara is a professor of landscape architecture at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. She received her Bachelor of English from Stanford University, Master of Landscape Architecture from University of Washington, and PhD in Landscape Architecture from University of Edinburgh. In addition to teaching, Prof. O'Hara has had a landscape design practice for over 30 years. She is the past president of the California Garden & Landscape History Society, trustee for the Olmsted Network, and is passionate about education and conservation of historic places.

Doors will open at 5:30 pm, and the lecture will start at 6 pm. Details are subject to change.

Rancho Los Alamitos is located on the ancestral and unceded land of the Gabrielino/Tongva people, who cared for this land for thousands of years and continue to do so today. Learn more by visiting gabrielinotribe.org.

Cover image by Millicent Harvey Photography

Host or Publisher Rancho Los Alamitos Foundation