Earl Burns Miller Japanese Garden
This intricately landscaped park is on the California State University Long Beach campus, and students and community members alike use this relaxing green space. A meandering path navigates the 1.3 acres of the garden, connecting scenic park amenities like pagodas, decorative bridges, and a koi pond. Admission is free for faculty and students of the university. It’s also a popular place to visit for special occasions and has the capacity to host up to 150 people.
Dedicated in April 1981, the 1.3 acre garden was built through the generosity of Mrs. Loraine Miller Collins in memory of her late husband, Earl Burns Miller. Following three years of planning, in cooperation with California State University Long Beach, landscape architect Edward R. Lovell was chosen to oversee its creation. The resulting garden reflects the university’s continued interest in international education, student and community engagement, as well as the Miller’s interests in nature and wellness. The university is delighted to share this educational, cultural, and aesthetic resource with you. The Garden is a hybrid art form that combines typical elements of Japanese garden design within the context of its Southern California location. They shared a passion for the outdoors, and gardening in particular. Loraine and Earl recognized the importance of travel, well-being, education and art as a means to self-development. These values are reflected in the Garden and through other projects they funded including the CSULB International House, Miller Children’s Hospital and the ongoing work of the Earl B. and Loraine H. Miller Foundation.
Over the past few decades, the Earl Burns Miller Japanese Garden (EBMJG) was administratively housed within University Relations and Development as an independent entity and served the university’s academic mission in a limited capacity as an auxiliary function. In recognition of the university’s opportunity to grow the role of the EBMJG as an academic center of excellence on campus, it was administratively moved to the College of Health and Human Services (CHHS) within the Division of Academic Affairs (AA) during the 2019-2020 academic year. The Earl Burns Miller Japanese Garden is a Japanese garden encompassing 1.3 acres (0.53 ha) on the campus of California State University, Long Beach, in Long Beach, California, United States. It was dedicated in 1981. Ed Lovell, landscape master plan architect for the University, traveled to Japan and took inspiration from the Imperial Gardens in Tokyo before designing the garden. Among the annual events held at the Japanese garden is a Koi auction and a chrysanthemum show.
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