View of back garden at Val Verde estate in Montecito. The estate has been locked in a legal battle

View of back garden at Val Verde estate in Montecito. The estate has been locked in a legal battle that has prevented full public access. Landscape architects consider the garden to be a national treasure. Though deteriorated around its edges, the original core remains a Lockwood de Forest Jr.–designed masterpiece. The historic home, built by the same architect who built Balboa Park in San Diego, is in a sad state of disrepair but is still infused with a wonderful, quirky style and sense of the past. (Photo by Spencer Weiner/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)