The Main House was built in 1902 and the formal gardens first designed in 1908. At her death in 1981, at age ninety-two, Elizabeth Frances Gamble, granddaughter of the co-founder of Procter & Gamble, left her house and garden to the City of Palo Alto. Today’s Gamble Garden, a public place of beauty and civic pride, was born from this extraordinary gift - one that came with minimal guidance and no endowment to secure its future. Today, over 300 volunteers provide 35,000+ hours of work annually to maintain and restore the house and garden. The garden is open to the public, free of charge, every day.