A. E. Hanson (1893–1986) was an American landscape architect and real estate developer in

Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most populous urban a ...

. He designed gardens on the campus of the

University of Southern California , mottoeng = "Let whoever earns the palm bear it" , religious_affiliation = Nonsectarian—historically Methodist , established = , accreditation = WSCUC , type = Private research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $8.1 ...

as well as in Bel Air. He developed two

gated communities A gated community (or walled community) is a form of residential community or housing estate containing strictly controlled entrances for pedestrians, bicycles, and automobiles, and often characterized by a closed perimeter of walls and fences. ...

near

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

: Rolling Hills and

Hidden Hills ''Hidden Hills'' is an American sitcom television series that aired on NBC from September 24, 2002 to January 21, 2003, during the 2002 fall line up. Based on the book ''Surviving Suburbia'', the series was created by Peter Segal and Ric Swart ...

Early life

Archibald Elexis Hanson was born on December 20, 1893, in

Chino, California Chino ( ; Spanish for "Curly") is a city in the western end of San Bernardino County, California, United States, with Los Angeles County to its west and Orange County to its south in the Southern California region. Chino is adjacent to Chi ...

.Pacific Coast Architecture Database
/ref>Online Archive of California
/ref>The Cultural Landscape Foundation
/ref> His father was a Canadian who migrated to the United States in 1885 and worked as a real estate developer, selling orange groves to Midwesterners. He only attended high school for two years, before he started working.

Career

Hanson started his career by working for landscape architects

Theodore Payne Theodore Payne (June 19, 1872 - May 6, 1963), was an English horticulturist, gardener, landscape designer, and botanist. His best known work was done over his adult life in Southern California. Biography Payne was born at Manor Farm, Church Brampt ...

and, by 1915, Paul Howard. In 1916, he started his own architectural firm. In 1921, Hanson designed the gardens of the

Getty House The Getty House is the official residence of the mayor of Los Angeles, California. It is located at 605 South Irving Boulevard in Windsor Square, a historic district east of Hancock Park, about five miles west of the Los Angeles City Hall. Hi ...

in Los Angeles, which serves as the

official residence An official residence is the residence of a head of state, head of government, governor, religious leader, leaders of international organizations, or other senior figure. It may be the same place where they conduct their work-related functions. ...

of the Mayor of Los Angeles. From 1925 to 1929, he designed the 4.75-acre gardens of the

Harold Lloyd Estate The Harold Lloyd Estate, also known as Greenacres, is a large mansion and landscaped estate located in the Benedict Canyon section of Beverly Hills, California. Built in the late 1920s by silent film star Harold Lloyd, it remained Lloyd's home ...

in Beverly Hills, California. In 1927, he designed the Hawaii garden of the

Hannah Carter Japanese Garden The Hannah Carter Japanese Garden is a private Japanese garden located in Bel Air, Los Angeles, California. Known as Shikyo-en when completed in 1961, it emphasizes water, stones, and evergreen plants. The naturalistic hillside site features stream ...

Bel Air, Los Angeles Bel Air (or Bel-Air) is a residential neighborhood on the Westside of Los Angeles, California, in the foothills of the Santa Monica Mountains. Founded in 1923, it is the home of the Hannah Carter Japanese Garden and the American Jewish Univers ...

for oilman Gordon G. Guiberson. In 1929, he designed the grounds of the H.C. Lippiatt-F.M.P. Taylor House in Bel Air, Los Angeles. That year he also designed the a formal English garden for the Gertrude K. and Gerald C. Young House built by Roland Coate in

Hancock Park, Los Angeles Hancock Park is a neighborhood in the Wilshire area of Los Angeles, California. Developed in the 1920s, the neighborhood features architecturally distinctive residences, many of which were constructed in the early 20th century. Hancock Park is ...

. In 1928–1929, he designed the gardens of the Archibald Young House designed by architect George Washington Smith in Pasadena, California. In 1930, Hanson designed the gardens of the Monterey Colonial style mansion of D.C. Norcross designed by architect Roland Coate, located at 673 Siena Way in

. He also designed the gardens of the

Doheny Library The Edward L. Doheny Jr. Memorial Library is a library located in the center of campus at the University of Southern California (USC). History After the shooting of his son, the Irish American oil tycoon Edward L. Doheny donated $1.1 milli ...

on the campus of the

. In the 1930s, Hanson developed two gated communities,

Rolling Hills, California Rolling Hills is a city on the Palos Verdes Peninsula, in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Rolling Hills is a gated community with private roads with three entry gates. Homes are single-story 19th century California ranch or Spa ...

, as well as

Hidden Hills, California Hidden Hills is a city and gated community in the Santa Monica Mountains region of Los Angeles County, California. It is located next to the city of Calabasas. It is notable for being home to many actors and celebrities. The population was 1,7 ...

. From 1932 to 1944, he served as President of the Palos Verdes Corporation. He also worked with architect Charles H. Cheney (1884-1943) to design a highway surrounding the

Palos Verdes Peninsula The Palos Verdes Peninsula (''Palos Verdes'', Spanish for "Green Sticks") is a landform and a geographic sub-region of the Los Angeles metropolitan area, within southwestern Los Angeles County in the U.S. state of California. Located in the S ...

Death

Hanson died on February 21, 1986.

Bibliography

Primary sources

*''Rolling Hills: The Early Years, February 1930 Through December 7, 1941'' (1978). *''Yesterday's Gardens'' (1979).Google Books
/ref>

Secondary sources

*David Gebhard, Sheila Lynds, ''An Arcadian Landscape. The California Gardens of A.E. Hanson'' (Hennessey & Ingalls, 1985).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hanson, A.E. American landscape and garden designers Architects from Los Angeles Businesspeople from Los Angeles Real estate and property developers 1893 births 1986 deaths California people in design Hidden Hills, California Palos Verdes Peninsula People from Chino, California 20th-century American businesspeople 20th-century American architects American real estate businesspeople