The Huntington is one of those places where I just keep discovering new things, every time I visit.
Towards the end of last year, I'd wanted to go back because I knew I'd missed some historic faux bois (fake wood made of steel-reinforced concrete)...
I was glad to see so many people out absorbing culture on the biggest shopping day of the year instead of hitting the outlet mall. Although I think only a few who reached this part of the garden actually knew that they were looking at—that is, concrete timber dating back as early as 1915 to the 1920s.
It wasn't really rose season yet...
...but it was a perfect time of year to get some severe sun angles beating down on trellises and pergolas...
...and, of course, decorative fake tree trunks along the Rose Arbor walkway...
...which were restored by Terry Eagan (featured in the short film in the video player above).
We explored more faux bois leading to and overlooking the Japanese garden and its koi ponds (stay tuned for a future blog post on that area)—but then we returned to the Rose Garden for a traditional service in the historic Rose Garden Tea Room, which reopened in 2023 after an 18-month, $11-million renovation.
It dates back to 1911—when architect Myron Hunt designed it as Henry E. Huntington's recreation area (or, as the L.A. Times calls it, "man cave"), with a billiard room (now the dining room), card tables, and two bowling lanes. For tea service to begin in 1928, the year that The Huntington opened to the public, the bowling alley had to be converted into a kitchen (and, unfortunately, the floor was ruined long ago).
Tea service has been almost continuous since then—with closures between 1943 and 1959 because of lack of business and between 2020 and 2023 for the COVID-19 pandemic and renovations. The Huntington adopted the current English style of afternoon tea service in the 1980s.
It's only with museum admission that you can sit in one of its dining areas—like the new al fresco terrace (the "Shakespeare Pavilion," facing the Shakespeare Garden) or The Rogers Salon—and sip a cup of English Breakfast, Earl Grey, or the Huntington Signature Blend or Rose tea blend.
We opted for the savory-and-sweet service inside the Herb Room...
...with crustless finger sandwiches of carrot and curry...
...and tiny toasts of smoked salmon, cream, and caviar...
...cucumber and peppercress...
...with shavings of New York strip...
...amid sprinklings of chive and spreads of butter and cheese.
With a swig of tea to cleanse the palate, we moved on to brown butter almond cake with chocolate icing, Belgian chocolate and sea salt caramel tarts...
...ginger cake with quince compote and cream cheese and sugar-dusted fruit tarts.
Fortunately, the first Thursday of the month is free day—so you can save on admission fees to splurge on the tea. (I was so lucky to be hosted by a friend who's a member.)
It was a wonderful place to witness twilight overtaking the day—turning the blue sky pink as it sends the day birds to bed and wakes up the nocturnals for the night ahead.
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