The Orcutt Ranch Horticultural Center, formally called Rancho Sombra del Roble, was the vacation and retirement estate of William Warren Orcutt and his wife Mary Logan Orcutt. The adobe residence, as well as the estate s gardens, ranch structures, oak trees, and citrus orchard, have historic significance because of the distinction of its owner W.W. Orcutt, a pioneer of the oil production industry in California and discoverer of the prehistoric fossils at the LaBrea Tar Pits. The historic Orcutt residence is surrounded by 24-acres of gardens and a citrus orchard. The gardens include heritage oaks trees, wandering garden paths, formal flower beds, and a variety of interesting specimen trees, exotic shrubs and flowering plants. There are several significant oak trees on the property, one of the largest is more that 30 feet in circumference and is estimated to be more than 700 years old. This stand of oaks was commemorated with a plaque on Oct. 2, 1948 by the San Fernando Valley Historical Society. On Jan. 22, 1965, the City of Los Angeles designated a 24-acre portion of the estate as Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument No. 31, which included the residence, ranch structures, gardens, oaks, and citrus orchard. One year later, the City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks acquired the property, preserving the site, the Orcutt home and its gardens for future generations as a public historic monument and park.
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