Foundation enabled the addition of a museum-quality Heritage Exhibit, with exhibits about the gardens, Manchester Boddy's life and times, and important donors and volunteers for the Descanso Gardens. Executive Director David Brown led the 2007 rehabilitation of the Boddy House; he planned to retire in 2017 after 12 years leading the botanic gardens. In 2019, the Boddy House was once again reimagined by Showcase House designers. Sturt Haaga Gallery The Sturt Haaga Gallery opened in the autumn of 2011. The gallery is named for the initial gift of $2.1 million from Heather Sturt Haaga and Paul G. Haaga, Jr. Other donations followed, also from private entities. Boddy's original garage was restored and houses two galleries. The facility was enhanced by the addition of a contemporary structure which doubled the size for exhibitions and with its ceilings allowed larger single pieces of art, completing the rehabilitation of site buildings begun in 2007. The contemporary structure was designed by the architects Frederick Fisher & Partners and completed in 2011. The Gallery presents three exhibitions per year. The focus is on work by contemporary artists that portrays themes and subjects relevant to its setting in the Descanso Gardens. The first exhibit of 2014 included works by over 150 contemporary artists, some entered in a jury competition, others commissioned by the Gardens. The exhibition involved contemporary photographs of the Descanso Gardens in a video gallery, using the hashtag #Portraitsofthegarden to collect the photos from social media web sites Twitter and Instagram. References External links Official Descanso Gardens website Botanical gardens in California Parks in Los Angeles County, California Museums in Los Angeles County, California Historic house museums in California Institutions accredited by the American Alliance of Museums La Cañada Flintridge, California National Register of Historic Places in Los Angeles County, California