OTL’s Role:
Ganna Walska Lotusland
LOCATION
Montecito, California
CONCEPTUAL LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT
Comstock L.A.
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT OF RECORD
Arcadia Studio
PROJECT OVERVIEW
- Design
- Construction
- Preservation
- Rockwork
- Mechanical Systems
Ganna Walska Lotusland began as the private residence of opera singer Madame Ganna Walska, who spent decades transforming the property into an intricate botanical wonderland now toured by the public. OTL restored several of its water features, including a cascading waterfall, pavilion stream, bamboo pond, Japanese garden and koi pond, all while preserving Madame Walska’s original vision.
PROJECT
CHALLENGE
No original design drawings existed to guide the restoration, and a flash flood followed by a long-burning wildfire stretched the timeline well beyond plan. One pond also held far more sediment than expected, clouding the water and hiding the koi collection central to Madame Walska’s legacy.
OTL’S
SOLUTION
Working with landscape architects and the Lotusland staff, OTL rebuilt the waterfall, first built by Ozzie Da Ros, using washable markers and a 200-ton crane to return every boulder to its original spot. To restore clarity to the koi pond, OTL installed new mechanical and biological filtration alongside ultraviolet sterilization.
This restoration kept Lotusland’s water features true to Madame Walska’s vision, giving the more than 7.2 million people who visit Montecito each year a revitalized landmark that carries her legacy forward.
