SHERMAN LIBRARY & GARDENS BREAKS GROUND ON $17 MILLION REVITALIZATION
SHERMAN LIBRARY & GARDENS BREAKS GROUND
ON $17 MILLION REVITALIZATION
The groundbreaking will happen on 2.26.2026
with shovels in the ground at 2:26 pm.
Guests will also celebrate Sherman’s 60th anniversary.
Celebrating its 60 years, Sherman Library & Gardens will break ground on February 26, 2026 at 2:26 pm for the most important revitalization in the history of this esteemed cultural resource.
This beautiful and tranquil cultural center dates back to the 1950s, when Arnold Haskell moved from Los Angeles to Corona del Mar. He purchased a charming little fired adobe house (still part of Sherman today) and the adjoining property for his office. By 1956, Haskell, who was a long-time lover of flora, added another wing to the property and began landscaping the surrounding land. With great foresight and over the course of a decade, Haskell acquired nearby lots, until he owned the entire block by 1967 and named this special place after his esteemed mentor, Moses Hazeltine Sherman. In that same year, Haskell donated the land to The Sherman Foundation that he and Sherman’s daughters had established in 1951.
The Sherman Foundation opened the first part of the Gardens in 1966. Between 1966 and 1974 the facilities took shape as Haskell oversaw the construction of the entire block, including the conservatory, central garden, gift shop, café and library. Sherman Library & Gardens is a monument to Haskell’s dream of an educational and cultural center: it’s a premier botanical garden and outstanding research library with collections related to the history of the Pacific Southwest.
“The Sherman Foundation’s charter is to be a community resource,” said Kirstie Acevedo, President of M.H. Sherman Company. “We have been very intentional in the architectural design to complement our cherished home in Corona del Mar while delivering on Sherman Library & Gardens’ mission focus of horticulture, education, and art.”
For 60 years, Sherman Library & Gardens has been a beloved presence in the community but urgently needed significant repairs and revitalization. The Grow The Gardens capital campaign marks the most significant remodel and reimagination in its history. The reconstruction will include an iconic Bell Tower Entrance, revitalization of important garden areas within the campus, as well as the relocation of the restaurant to Pacific Coast Highway allowing for the central garden area to be used primarily for educational programming, the backbone of Sherman’s mission.
“It was important for us to employ smart and sensitive design that honored the charm and character for the future of the Corona del Mar Village,” said Tim Collins, Chairman of the Building Committee. Construction is expected to last 18 months and be complete in late Summer 2027. He added, “This revitalization was a long time coming and we are confident the community will fully embrace the reimagined Sherman Library & Gardens.”
For more information and an electronic press kit featuring high resolution renderings of the designs, please visit https://thesherman.org/grow-the-gardens/electronic-press-kit/
About Sherman Library & Gardens
Sherman Library & Gardens is a non-profit that has been deeply rooted in Orange County, California for 60 years, serving the community as a cultural center, sanctuary and educational beacon for history and beauty. Founded in 1966 by Arnold Haskell and named for his friend and mentor, Moses Hazeltine Sherman, this iconic institution serves as a guardian of regional history and artifacts, a living library of plants both native and exotic and a conservator of artistic works influenced by and produced in the Pacific Southwest. Today, Sherman Library & Gardens is a monument to Haskell’s dream of an educational and cultural center including a premier botanical garden and outstanding research library. Sherman Library & Gardens was recently recognized by the Newport Beach City Council with a proclamation, naming Sherman Library & Gardens as the “Cultural Hub” of Corona del Mar. The Grow The Gardens campaign is currently underway, with additional information and details HERE. Sherman Library & Gardens is located at 2647 E. Coast Hwy., Corona del Mar, CA 92625.