"We are kind of really polishing that diamond in the crown of Corona del Mar and Newport Beach," Executive Director Scott LaFleur told the Orange County Register in April. He has run Sherman Library & Gardens for 11 years, and he calls the current stage a "renaissance."
If you have walked over this year and found yourself rerouted to Dahlia Avenue, with no lunch counter and fenced-off paths, you have seen the middle of that work. The $17 million project, called Grow the Gardens, is doing more than replanting beds. It is turning the whole garden toward East Coast Highway. The future entrance, the future restaurant and its street-side door all point at PCH. For now you come in the side way, and the garden is filling the gap with smaller attractions and a full calendar meant to make a partly finished place worth the walk.
What the money is actually building
The capital campaign began in 2022 after more than five years of planning, and it had reached $16.5 million when ground broke in February 2026, the garden's 60th year. Slater Builders is the builder and Gensler Architects is the design partner. The Register reports the renovation should be finished late in the summer of 2027.
Sherman's own project list is longer than most people expect:
- A new Bell Tower entrance and ticket booth, plus a new visitor center
- A Central Garden Walkway and a brand-new Reflection Garden
- Updates to the Tropical Conservatory, Shade House and Sun Garden
- A Story Time Corner
- A rebuilt Tea Garden with a Garden View Patio and Terrace
- Hazeltine's, the new restaurant
- A community building
Sherman's Tea Garden page credits donors Gail and Peter Ochs with helping to "rebuild and improve" that space.
"About 50% of the garden is getting a little bit of a remake and kind of updated for today's uses and guest experience," LaFleur said. The new entrance, with a bell tower and wrought iron fencing, is going up along Pacific Coast Highway. Until it opens, visitors enter on Dahlia Avenue.
Why the restaurant is the hinge
Every other change depends on moving the restaurant. 608 Dahlia, Chef Jessica Roy's garden-to-table lunch spot, closed last October when her lease ended, which lined up with the planned renovation. Roy moved north to open 608 Sunset in Sunset Beach.
The replacement, Hazeltine's, will go into the old visitor center and garden shop site by the Tea Garden. That space is being rebuilt as a two-story building with its own entrance from Pacific Coast Highway, looking over the refurbished Tea Garden. The operator is Damian Orozco, who owns the Tea House on Los Rios in San Juan Capistrano. The plan calls for late breakfast, lunch and dinner with a full-service bar.
Moving the dining room frees up the old one. "Moving the restaurant was the key to unlocking a vital education space for expanded classes, lectures, and field trips so Sherman can better fulfill its mission," LaFleur told the Newport Beach Independent. The former restaurant space is set to become a full-time community and education building.
The PCH-facing restaurant also has history behind it. In the garden's early days, the Junior League of Newport Beach served light lunches to members in the Tea Garden through a window in the old visitor center and garden shop. That is the same footprint Hazeltine's will occupy. The name comes from Hazeltine, daughter of the garden's namesake, Moses Hazeltine Sherman. The design draws on letters and photos the two exchanged, built in a style Sherman calls "Sherman Funk," a mix of Spanish, Mediterranean and less traditional elements.
Sources differ slightly on timing. Sherman's visit page says the restaurant will open in fall 2027, and the June announcement said late summer 2027. Either way, there is no regular food service on site until then.
What a visit looks like right now
The garden is open during construction, but some areas are closed, and the visit page warns that you may hear work going on. The staff has built what LaFleur calls "micro engagements" to keep people around. These include an orchid alley set up while the conservatory is under construction, part of the begonia collection, and a train display around the garden's huge pepper tree that changes each season.
"We are trying to create little moments in the garden that will increase people's linger time and give them more things to do."
LaFleur also pointed to the succulent garden and Fern Alley as open, and called the Central Garden "stunning right now."
The same approach drove the summer. Dog Days of Sherman placed six large mosaic dog sculptures by Elizabeth Laul Healey around the grounds from May 16 through September 7, and they were included with regular admission. The fall and holiday schedule picks up from there.
The fall and December calendar, in order
The schedule is packed, and two closures fall right in the middle of it.
- Friday, Oct. 2 through Sunday, Oct. 4. Closed to the public for the 2nd Annual Botanical Ball, the fundraiser for Sherman's educational programs.
- Friday, Oct. 16, 5 to 7 p.m. Yappy Hour, Howl-O-Ween Edition, with music, a drink, snacks and dogs in costume. Tickets are $15 for members and $25 for nonmembers.
- Sunday, Oct. 18. Closed to general admission. The same afternoon, from 1 to 4 p.m., Sherman is holding a Hazeltine's Afternoon Tea that it bills as a last look at the fall harvest display "before Sherman resets for the holidays." Reservations and payment in advance are required. Adults pay $79 and children $49, plus tax and gratuity, and nonmembers also pay the daily admission of $12 for adults and $5 for children. The tea is reservation-only on a day the garden is closed to walk-ins, so confirm access when you book.
- Thursday, Nov. 12, 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Holiday Scented Soapmaking Workshop, $65 for members and $75 for nonmembers.
- December 3–6, 10–13 and 17–22. Merry & Bright Nights, 14 evenings with 5 p.m. or 7 p.m. entry. Sherman calls the event "all new." It includes Santa, a Wishing Tree, holiday crafts, a model train, Mexican food, adult drinks and a dance party. Admission is $45 for members, $65 for nonmembers, and free for children 3 and under.
The teas matter most for the 2027 plan. Sherman describes them as "a first glimpse into what is to come from the future Hazeltine's restaurant." The menu lists loose-leaf organic tea, seasonal scones with clotted cream and lemon curd, tea sandwiches and petit fours. Until the PCH building opens, this is the only way to try Hazeltine's food.
The same stretch of highway, a few doors over
Sherman is one of several places on this part of the Coast Highway that are reworking how they meet the street this season. White Rooster is moving into the former Mayur Cuisine of India space at 2931 East Coast Highway. The Register reported a target opening of "late October or early November," with no firm date. Chef-owner Michael Campbell told WhatNow he was "so excited to find this space."
Up the hill at 2301 San Joaquin Hills Road, Roger's Gardens opened its seasonal Moonlight Masquerade boutique on Aug. 28. It is open daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. through Halloween. That means both Corona del Mar gardens have seasonal programming going on at the same time this October, and only one of them is under construction.
For Sherman, the plan is finished and the opening is expected in 2027. Until the Bell Tower opens, the gate on Dahlia Avenue is the way in.
At The Twinning Team, we keep track of projects like Grow the Gardens because they shape what it feels like to live along this part of Coast Highway. If you would like to hear when homes near Sherman and the CdM village come available, reach out to receive exclusive listings.
