William A. Peschelt Collection archPeschelt
Erin Chase.
The Huntington Library
2011
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, California 91108
Business Number: (626) 405-2191
reference@huntington.org
Note
Finding aid last updated by Kelly Kress on February 14, 2023.
Contributing Institution:
The Huntington Library
Title: William A. Peschelt collection
Identifier/Call Number: archPeschelt
Physical Description:
21.38 Linear Feet
(3 oversize folders)
Date (inclusive): approximately 1905-1912
Abstract: The collection documents the landscape work of landscape designer William A. Peschelt during the early part of the 20th century,
with a focus on his work for Arthur Letts' Holmby Park residence in Los Angeles, California.
Language of Material: Materials are in English.
Conditions Governing Access
Open for use by qualified researchers and by appointment. Please contact Reader Services at the Huntington Library for more
information.
RESTRICTED. Use digital reproductions when available. Originals available by special permission only.
Conditions Governing Use
The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to quote from or publish images of this material,
nor does it charge fees for such activities. The responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is one, and
obtaining permission rests with the researcher.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], William A. Peschelt collection, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Purchased for The Huntington from Elise Ebbert by the Library Collectors' Council, January 18, 2009.
Original sketches for improved 7th Street Park, Santa Monica, Cal. (Folder 3), Gift of Elise Ebbert, November 2015.
Biographical / Historical
William Peschelt was born in Berlin, Germany in 1853, and came to Los Angeles in 1880 at the beginning of the population boom.
Not much is known about the early part of his career, but in the first decade of the century he went into private business
with Adolph Scheffler as a nurseryman and landscape designer. By 1905, Peschelt had likely gained a reputation as a landscape
designer and ornamental horticulturalist because in the same year he was hired to work on possibly the largest and most elaborate
residential garden in the city of Los Angeles. In 1904, English born Arthur Letts (1862-1923), founder of the Broadway Department
Store, purchased 60 acres in the Los Feliz area, built his residence Holmby House, and began transforming the landscape. His
collection of trees, plants, shrubs, and succulents was unrivaled, and his formal garden with deodor-lined roads, fountains,
statuary, terraces, and sweeping lawns made it one of the most beautiful in Los Angeles. In addition to the Letts estate,
Peschelt created a residential garden plan for Isaac Millbank of Santa Monica, and an elaborate cemetery plan for Inglewood
Park Cemetery.
Scope and Contents
Collection consists of six renderings in total, including three of the Letts residence. In addition to the Letts estate, Peschelt
created a residential garden plan for Isaac Millbank of Santa Monica, an elaborate cemetery plan for Inglewood Park Cemetery,
and sketches for the 7th Street Park in Santa Monica.
Existence and Location of Copies
Arrangement
Arranged alphabetically.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Landscape Architects –- California
Landscape Architecture -- California -- Los Angeles
Landscape Architecture -- Designs and plans.
Architectural drawings
Folder Oversize 1
"Holmby," Arthur Letts Home
approximately 1908
Folder Oversize 2
Inglewood Park Cemetery
1912
Folder Oversize 3
Original Contour Map for Holmby Residence of Arthur Letts, Esq.
approximately 1905-1907
Folder Oversize 3
Original Map for Sunken Garden at Holmby Park (home of Arthur Letts)
approximately 1905
Folder Oversize 3
Original sketches for improved 7th Street Park, Santa Monica, Cal
undated
Folder Oversize 3
Plot plan for house and drive for I. Millbank at Palisades, Santa Monica
1911
