Marston House Museum & Gardens: The Finest Example of the Arts & Crafts Movement

One of California’s finest examples of the Arts and Crafts movement, the Marston House was constructed in 1905 for George W. Marston and his wife, Anna Gunn Marston. George Marston is noted for many things but most prominently as a civic leader whose interest and work in historic preservation, conservation and history is well known.

The property was designed and built by the internationally renowned architects William Sterling Hebbard and Irving Gill. Surrounded by five acres of rolling lawns, manicured formal gardens, and rustic canyon gardens, this 8,500 square-foot home became a house museum in 1987 after the Marston family gifted it to the City of San Diego for the enjoyment of the public.

Spend some time exploring the grounds, formal gardens and canyon pathways in the shade of towering pine, eucalyptus and oak trees. Learn about one of San Diego’s most prominent families and the master architects and landscape designers who worked with the family to create one of the region’s most important estates.

Marston House Garden Tour is available during summer hours ONLY (June 17, 2013 through Labor Day) on Saturdays & Sundays, 11am · 1pm · 3pm · 45 minutes
for $10. The garden tour takes you on a walk through the 5-acre estate beginning with the first plantings and landscape plan in 1905 to the 1928 introduction of a formal garden. You will also learn about the grand restoration plans for one of the few remaining arts and crafts canyon landscapes in southern California. Off Season exclusive tours are offered by appointment and group tours only, and are available by special request.