Rosecroft, Renaissance Revival mansion in Point Loma, San Diego, US

Rosecroft is a 15,000 sq ft Italian Renaissance-style mansion on Silvergate Avenue in the Wooded Area of Point Loma, San Diego, designed by architect Emmor Brooke Weaver and completed in 1912. It stands on a 2.5-acre parcel, the largest in the area, carved from the 10 acres of barley fields the Robinsons bought in 1903. A stone wall along Silvergate Avenue is the only remnant of the former begonia gardens.

The land was purchased in 1903, and the house was completed in 1912 by architect Emmor Brooke Weaver. It was built during a period when wealthy families were constructing grand homes across the Point Loma peninsula.

Marion Robinson named the estate for her Scottish Highland ancestry. She and Alfred co-founded the San Diego Floral Association with Kate Sessions, and Alfred edited its magazine, California Garden. After his death the garden ran as Rosecroft Begonia Gardens, a public attraction into the 1960s; a stone wall along Silvergate Avenue is its only trace.

The property sits in Point Loma and can be seen from the street, but it is not open for public visits. Walking through the neighborhood offers a good sense of the architecture and the general character of the area.

A stone wall along Silvergate Avenue is the only remnant of the Rosecroft Begonia Gardens, which drew tourists through the 1960s before the garden plots were subdivided for houses in the 1970s. The mansion itself hosted Ronald Reagan's 1966 announcement of his candidacy for California governor and Dr. Seuss's 80th birthday party in 1984.