Fact Sheet

The Annenberg Retreat at Sunnylands
In 2001, Ambassador Walter (1908-2002) and Leonore (1918-2009) Annenberg signed a Declaration of Trust outlining their vision for the future use of Sunnylands and itemizing permitted programs. They directed that their beautiful estate in Rancho Mirage, California, be available to serve as a sanctuary for generations of high-level national and world leaders seeking the privacy, the peace, and “the pause” needed for solving the most pressing national and international issues.

Governing Organization
The Annenberg Foundation Trust at Sunnylands, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization.

Trustees: The children and grandchildren of Walter and Leonore Annenberg

Wallis Annenberg

Lauren Bon

Diane Deshong

Howard Deshong III

Leonore Deshong

Elizabeth R. Kabler

Elizabeth Sorensen

Charles Annenberg Weingarten

Gregory Annenberg Weingarten

President: Ambassor David J. Lane (Ret.)

Sunnylands: A Historic Estate

• Sunnylands was commissioned in 1963 by Ambassador Walter and Mrs. Annenberg as a winter home. It was completed in 1966.
• Named after Sunnylands, an Annenberg family home in Pennsylvania
• Sun god logo was commissioned by the Annenbergs in the 1960s.
• The 25,000-square-foot house and 200 acres were designed by Southern California architect A. Quincy Jones.

The estate also includes:

• Three cottages designed by A. Quincy Jones
• Eleven lakes, a tennis court, and a nine-hole golf course
• Dick Wilson-designed nine-hole golf course, which also plays as an 18-hole course
• Tim Jackson and David Kahn are the designers who restored the course to its original Dick Wilson design.

Sunnylands Center & Gardens

• Commissioned in 2008 by Leonore Annenberg, the 17,000-square-foot building, on a 15-acre parcel adjacent to the historic estate, was designed by Frederick Fisher & Partners and completed in 2011. Fisher references the A. Quincy Jones-designed historic house in his use of lava walls, trellises, and floor-to-ceiling glass.
• The interior design is by Michael Smith, interior designer for the Obama White House family quarters.
• The nine-acre Gardens, by the Office of James Burnett, consist of more than 53,000 individual arid-landscape plants and 1.25 miles of walking paths.
• Wall panels provide information on the history of Walter and Leonore Annenberg at Sunnylands, the famous people who visited, and the contemporary retreat program.