[New Place]

Bruce Porter in 1905 designed New Place. William Crocker's 700 acre estate in Hillsborough was one of the earliest Italianate Gardens in California. A formal garden surrounded the house, designed by Lewis P. Hobart and there were park lands planted with pine and oak specimen trees. A balustrade gravel terrace overlooked a lawn with pools and jet fountains. A stone foot bridge crossed the natural canyon which runs through the property, which also had a palm garden, tree ferns and Russian Maples. Mrs. Crocker was a horticulturist and the seeds from the stone pines came from Hadrian's Villa.

New Place was purchased by the Burlingame Country Club in 1954 and still has notable garden features. Imported urns and planted pots decorate the house terrace and a sarcophagus, shown in early photographs, still remains on th south terrace. A birdbath in a small temple stands between two giant Sequoia in the north-eastern part of the garden. A cutting garden is maintained for decorating the club. Modern additions include putting green, croquet court, tennis courts, and a golf and tennis pro shop. In this picture, Irish Yews flank the stairs to the flower garden. This fountain was moved to Huntington Park, San Francisco. It is called Fountain of the Tortoises.

Historic plate number: "16."

Historic plate caption: "California."