Larry Egger came to the Bay area in 1920 after having served in the French Army during the Great War. He was immediately taken with the sweet and cool flora of Mill Valley.
He had majored in botany at Beloit College in Wisconsin. He bought the Amacita nursery at 234 Sycamore.
In 1938 he began expanding on the seven acres he soon acquired. In 1947 his son joined
the business and they changed the name to E. L. Egger.
In 1955 the entire facility was upgraded. All existing structures including the old adobe store
were demolished. Local architect Michael Wornum was given full rein to plan the whole facility. According to Wornum, “The new building became the backdrop for planting, and the design was left subdued to heighten the impact of the plants and trees of the nursery.”
The center of attraction is the long pergola across the front of the building. Behind this central store area are the “green room”, a lath roofed area, and the outdoor plants and trees area. In
1960, Michael Wornum was elected mayor of Mill Valley. He later became a Marin County Supervisor, a member of the California state assembly and mayor of Larkspur.
(This snippet of Marin history is provided to Marinscope Community Newspapers by the Mll Valley Historical Society.)
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