In 1903 Adolphus Busch, the millionaire co-founder of Anheuser-Busch, bought a sizable plot of land along South Orange Grove Avenue in Pasadena and built a magnificent mansion.

Landscape architect and horticulturalist Robert Fraser was hired to craft a lush, beautiful garden setting with terraces, lagoons, arbors, glens and glades. Extensive underground plumbing was installed for irrigation, fed by a new water pumping station. It was an oasis for Mr. Busch and his wife, Lilly, during their annual visits from St. Louis; it also quickly became a hot spot for curious visitors, occupying one of his gardeners nearly full-time just keeping folks off the grounds. In 1909 Adolphus approached the city with a proposition—they pay for a policeman to keep an eye on things, and the family would open the gardens with no charge to the public a few days each week.2 The “Busch Gardens” formally opened in 1912, quickly becoming a major tourist attraction in Southern California and pulling in a staggering 1.5 million guests in 1915.

By 1919 Adolphus had been dead for six years, and on June 19 Lilly finally pulled the plug, closing the gardens in an attempt to move on. Annual costs for maintaining the sixty acres was a hefty $40,000, and with prohibition in force the family business was going to have a rough time of it. But the following year she decided to put the gardens to good use, turning them over to the Pasadena Hospital Association. The new 25-cent entrance fee was donated for a hospital building campaign. Then in 1921 management was transferred to the Busch Gardens Fund for Disabled and Needy Veterans; the Busch estate covered all operations and upkeep, all gate proceeds were donated directly to the charity. This lasted until 1928 when the gates were again locked, only to be reopened in 1933 by a local organization who wanted to use the gardens for hosting civic events. Two years later they began working with the American Legion, again as a benefit for veterans, even entering a float from time to time in the Rose Parade branded as the Pasadena Busch Gardens.

The famous Busch Gardens were closed for the final time in 1938, to be subdivided for residential development. But even though old Adolphus’ beautiful oasis is long gone, you can still discover a few remaining pieces here and there while taking a stroll along Busch Garden Court, Busch Garden Drive, and Busch Place.