The Paulson Family Gardens Are Officially Open

Written by:

Christine Schott

07/09/2026

The July heat was relentless, but it did little to keep guests away from Southampton Arts Center as they gathered on July 3 to celebrate the dedication of The Paulson Family Gardens, a $3.4 million transformation of the institution’s historic grounds made possible by Palm Beacher John Paulson and The Paulson Family Foundation.

The afternoon’s centerpiece was a ceremonial ribbon cutting led by Paulson and Alina de Almeida alongside Southampton Village Mayor Bill Manger, SAC Chair Simone Levinson, and members of the team.

The project, completed in just nine months, reimagines the center’s three-acre campus while preserving the character of the original 1898 property designed by architect Grosvenor Atterbury. A new fountain anchors the East Lawn, gardens by landscape architect Chris LaGuardia soften the perimeter, accessible pathways weave throughout the grounds, and a new outdoor performance space extends the Arts Center’s programming beyond its galleries. Expanded gardens, new trees, and carefully restored historic landscaping complete the transformation.

“I had a dream that when you walk into the park and go through the gates, you enter into an oasis,” Paulson said. “It’s sort of like ‘Alice in Wonderland’ when she walks through the looking glass. All of a sudden, you come off the busy streets and then you come into this oasis of beauty of tall trees and shade.”

For SAC Chair Simone Levinson, the gardens represent more than a renovation. They transform the institution into a true indoor-outdoor cultural campus. Children’s programs will now spill outdoors, sculpture installations will continue throughout the grounds, and performances will unfold beneath the open sky.

Palm Beach was well represented, as it often is on the East End in July. Familiar faces from both communities mingled with trustees, artists, patrons, and village officials throughout the afternoon.

Guests wandered through the new gardens with glasses in hand, pausing beside the fountain and beneath the restored canopy of mature trees to escape the heat, previewing what the Paulson Family Gardens are to become: a public green space at the heart of Southampton, where art, culture, and community naturally converge.