Saturday, April 25, 2009

Le Venue - Villa Del Sol 'd Oro - House of the Golden Sun, Alverno Heights Academy



For a venue in Los Angeles County and in the Pasadena area – consider my beautiful high school alma mater Alverno Heights Academy http://www.alverno-hs.org/about_villa.asp when planning your wedding.

The Alverno Villa is a duplicate of the Villa Collazzi located on the outskirts of Florence Italy. Villa Collazzi has been occupied for several centuries by the Bombicci ― Fomi family, and legend has it that the Villa is the only one ever designed by the immortal Michelangelo. The Villa del Sol d’Oro is one―quarter scale to the original.

Villa del Sol d’Oro is nestled at the foot of the beautiful San Gabriel Mountains in picturesque Sierra Madre, the Villa was built in the Italian Renaissance Style in 1922 by the famous Pasadena architect Wallace Neff and was completed by 1928. The estate was built by Dr. Jarvis Barlow for his wife, who had visited and wanted a house just like the Villa Collazzi. This design was a sweeping departure from the Mediterranean style that that Neff perfected in his other homes.

Originally built on thirteen acres of trees and flowers overlooking the entire San Gabriel Valley, the Villa had five master bedrooms, four bathrooms, and ample help quarters, one of the first electric elevators in the area, porches on three sides, and spacious patios. On the grounds were garages, stables, caretaker’s home, swimming pool, bath house, and tennis courts.

The building is comprised of two stories and a tower. It is said that the walls are made of two rows of hollow tile to keep the building cool in the summer and warm in the winter. The lower story houses the reception rooms, dining room, drawing room, and library. The upper floor includes the living quarters and a spacious ballroom. The tower was built to obtain a better view of the valley.

Dr. Barlow himself supervised the planting of the trees which included: orchids, tulip, Japanese Magnolia, strawberry tree, flaming eucalyptus, monkey tree, camphor, sapoitas, English Yew, coral, and carob. To frame the southern façade, a sunken garden was added, lined on either side by Italian cypress.

Please contact at http://www.alverno-hs.org/ all the details.

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