Guiding Stewardship, Expanding Access
Guiding preservation and development of the 654-acre Filoli estate, NBW’s Comprehensive Landscape Plan defines achievable steps toward a long-term vision. Grounded in research illuminating the site’s cultural and natural resources, the plan provides a framework for reinvesting in the historic landscape while reinforcing Filoli's identity.
Key initiatives include improving the arrival experience, restoring the historic olive grove through the relocation of parking, enhancing ADA accessibility and circulation within the historic core, and supporting a more diverse and flexible range of event spaces. The plan also advances operational efficiency and addresses the impacts of climate change through strategies for water conservation, the introduction of fire- and drought-tolerant native plant communities, and the active management of natural areas.
Beyond physical improvements, the plan expands the interpretive framework of the site. New trails and programmatic nodes invite visitors to explore Filoli’s varied ecologies and engage with histories that extend beyond the Bourne and Roth family estate era, including those of Indigenous peoples and Spanish and Mexican settlers, as well as other underrepresented narratives. Together, these strategies reveal a more complete understanding of Filoli, one in which the house and formal gardens remain central within a broader, dynamic landscape shaped by many stories over time.
