Stone archway entrance to the Cerritos Sculpture Garden with the Infinity sculpture visible through the opening
The entrance to the Cerritos Sculpture Garden. Photo by Namneet Dhaliwal.

If you have only driven past the Cerritos Civic Center on Bloomfield Avenue, you have missed one of the nicest quiet spots in the city. The Cerritos Sculpture Garden sits right next to City Hall, it is free, and you can walk the whole thing in about the time it takes to finish a coffee. I stopped by on a sunny fall afternoon and wanted to share a few favorites.

A garden built for the city's 50th birthday

Cerritos was incorporated in 1956 as Dairy Valley, and the city dedicated the Sculpture Garden in 2006 as a 50th anniversary gift to the community. It was designed to hold about 20 pieces, and the city has kept adding to it over the years, so it is worth coming back now and then to see what is new.

Infinity by Cliff Garten

Walk through the stone archway at the entrance and the first thing you see, framed right in the opening, is Infinity. Cliff Garten's stainless steel sculpture was installed in 2014, and it really does seem to change shape depending on where you stand. From the gate it reads as a figure eight. Up close it opens into two big looping rings made of hundreds of curved steel ribs, with the light coming through.

Infinity, a looping stainless steel wire sculpture by Cliff Garten, under sycamore trees at the Cerritos Sculpture Garden
Infinity by Cliff Garten, up close. Photo by Namneet Dhaliwal.

The Elements by Jane DeDecker

This was one of the garden's original pieces in 2006, and it is the one most people remember. Four bronze women stand in a reflecting pool, each one representing Earth, Wind, Fire or Water. Their clothes and hair look like they are caught in a breeze, and the hedge behind them makes the whole scene feel like its own little room.

Four bronze female figures of The Elements by Jane DeDecker standing in a reflecting pool in Cerritos
The Elements by Jane DeDecker. Photo by Namneet Dhaliwal.

Mirage by Ted Schaal

Against a tall wall of bamboo you will find Mirage, installed in 2008. Two dark, layered bronze forms hold a polished stainless steel orb split in half, and the orb reflects the sky and the garden around it. It is a great spot for photos, especially in the late afternoon when the bamboo throws shadows across the wall behind it.

Mirage by Ted Schaal, layered bronze forms around a split mirrored steel orb, in front of bamboo in Cerritos
Mirage by Ted Schaal. Photo by Namneet Dhaliwal.

More to see

The garden also holds the Cerritos Air Disaster Memorial by Kathleen Caricof, a replica of the Statue of Freedom from the U.S. Capitol dome, and newer bronze pieces such as Denny Haskew's Strength of the Maker, added in 2023. Since it is part of the Civic Center, it pairs nicely with a stop at the Cerritos Library down the street or dinner before a show at the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts.

Living near the Civic Center

Places like this are a big part of why people love living in Cerritos. The city keeps its parks, library and public spaces in great shape, and you are a short drive from both the 91 and the 605. If you are curious what homes in the area look like right now, take a look at the Cerritos homes for sale and the Cerritos Market Report for recent active, pending and sold homes. When one catches your eye, call or text me and I will set up a showing.

Thinking about selling? I follow the Cerritos market closely and know what buyers here are looking for. Start with a free home value estimate and I am happy to talk through what your home could sell for.

Namneet Dhaliwal
Zone Realty, Inc.
Call or text: (714) 932-9409
DRE #01393340