The Landmarks Art & Garden Center, a lovingly renovated historic cottage and garden, offers a unique setting for weddings and special events!
Description
Drivers who stream along Richardson Bay on the commute to and from Tiburon have a wonderful panoramic bay view, which sweeps from Sausalito to Strawberry Point and Mt. Tamalpais. A beautiful new addition to that view is the Landmarks Art and Garden Center, a lovingly renovated house and property from Tiburon’s earliest years, that is now a superb setting for weddings and special events.
Once you reach this facility, you’re enveloped in another world and sensibility. As you pass the deep green expanse of lawn on your way in, you can picture having your ceremony on it, or perhaps joining your guests for an old-fashioned game of croquet.
The square-acre site, with its commanding vista of Richardson Bay, is a garden composed of four terraces, with the house nestled to one side and a rose arbor on the other. The terraces are joined by curving brick walkways and ascend a gentle hillside in the following order: a lush lawn, a bricked area, an oval terrace, and a belvedere at the top. Each of these lovely outdoor spaces—all of which have an extensive view of the water and southern Marin’s steep hills—works extremely well as a site for a ceremony or reception.
The Center had been untended and overgrown until a landscape architect and a brigade of green-thumbed volunteers descended on it in 2000. Original redwoods, oaks, elms, walnut and fruit trees, and blooming hedges are now augmented by new plantings of crabapples, weeping cherries, Japanese maples, and colorful beds of azaleas, camellias, roses, lilacs and seasonal flowers.
Birds love the improvements—you can hear them chirping everywhere. Halfway up the hillside is a touch of whimsy, an old ocher and green pagoda-shaped birdhouse from the Victorian era appropriately called a “folly.” A cool, shady grove of redwoods behind the house has branches that shelter three loveseat-sized benches.
The other star of the Center is the restored farm house, built in the 1870s and once part of a working-class neighborhood in the days when Tiburon was a railroad terminal. The cottage, clad in gray shingles with rough cedar shakes on the roof, features a sun-filled living room that opens to the original kitchen and adjoining sitting area. A small wedding or reception would fit nicely here, surrounded by the rough-hewn charm of the meticulously restored walls and floors. (The walls are a permanent art gallery, featuring exhibitions of paintings by local artists that change through the year.) Just outside the kitchen door, there’s a handsomely refurbished farmyard bell that newlyweds’ friends often toll in celebration—another one of the old-fashioned touches that contribute to this facility’s welcoming atmosphere.
If your imagination has been taking you to a quiet, sunny spot with abundant greenery and scenery, you’ll undoubtedly experience a pleasing sense of deja vu when you actually set foot in the Landmarks Art and Garden Center.
Capacity
Ceremony Reception/Special Events Meetings
Max. Seated Outdoors: 150 lawn, 60 for brick terrace
Max. Standing Outdoors: 150
Max. Standing Indoors: 55
Max. Seated: 55
Ceremony Capacity: The brick terrace holds 120 seated; the lawn holds 150 seated. Tenting is an additional option depending on the weather.
Event/Reception Capacity: The cottage accommodates 55 guests. The larger terrace holds 60 seated, 75-85 for a buffet, or 95-110 for a cocktail party. The lawn holds 150 seated for a reception or buffet.
Meeting Capacity: The cottage holds up to 55 guests.
Fees & Deposits
The rental fee is $4,000 for up to 55 guests, $4,500 for 56-100 guests and $5,000 for 101-150 guests All rental fees cover up to 8 hours of use on the day of the event. Additional time for rehearsals, setup, or overtime is $400/hour. 50% of the rental fee is required to reserve your date. The rental balance and a refundable $1,000 – $2,000 security deposit are payable 60 days prior to the event. We ask that you join Landmarks as a member and half of your membership rental fee will be tax deductible.
For midweek (Monday-Thursday) elopements we offer ceremony only events. Maximum is 30 attending and the fee is $1,750 for 1 and 1/2 hours with standard deposit required.
Availability
Year-round, daily (8am – 9pm)
Details
| Site Uses: | Ceremonies, Wedding Receptions, Special Events, Rehearsal Dinners, Parties, Business Functions/Meetings, |
| Services/Amenities: | Catering: select from preferred list; |
| Parking: | Limited to 12 cars, shuttle required |
| Kitchen Facilities: | limited |
| Accommodations: | no guestrooms |
| Tables & Chairs: | 30 folding chairs and 8 tables |
| Linens, Silver, etc | Through your caterer |
| Dance Floor | CBA |
| Music | No amplified music after 8:30 pm (residential area) |
| Telephone: | WiFi – use hot spots |
| Outdoor Night Lighting: | Limited |
| Outdoor Cooking Facilities | CBA |
| Restrooms: | wheelchair accessible |
| Cleanup: | caterer |
| Bride & Groom Dressing Area: | yes |
| Meeting Equipment | BYO |
| View: | Richardson Bay, Sausalito and Mt. Tamalpais |
| Smoking | Designated areas only |
| Alcohol | Through caterer or bartender service |
| Insurance: | Insurance required for venue |
Reservations and Further Information
Please contact the Landmark Representative at 415-272-3816 or email landmarksrentals@gmail.com or use our contact form.
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For recent photos of events at Landmarks Art & Garden Center, click Event Photos or Event Photos2
For a VIMEO tour of a recent wedding click on VIMEO – ART and GARDEN Special
Please note: Belvedere Tiburon Landmarks Society is a 501c3 and all renters of our historic sites become members for a nominal fee as part of the rental agreement.