Cultural Landscape Currents–on Reynolda Gardens

Pioneers of American Landscape Designnow available from McGraw-Hill

FEATURES, PAGE 3 IN THE FIELD, PAGE 6 IN EVERY ISSUE, PAGE 9 UPDATES, PAGE 17

One of 160 Pioneers:Alfred Caldwell (1903-98)

Photo courtesy Dennis Domer

feature of this publication is the detailed list-ing of up to five sites accessible to the publicby each designer.

The Pioneers in ContextFollowing the publication of the National

Park Service’s Pioneers of American LandscapeDesign I and II and the National Trust publi-cation, American Landscape Architecture:Designers and Places, edited by William H.Tishler (1989), a surge of interest in landscapehistory and landscape architecture continuesto increase. Tishler’s book, part of the Building

The National Park Service HistoricLandscape Initiative (HLI) and The

Library of American Landscape History ispleased to announce the publication of thePioneers of American Landscape Design(McGraw-Hill, hardcover, $59.95). Pioneerswas initiated by the HLI because there was nosingular source book or finding aid for re-searchers seeking information on the practi-tioners who have had a significant impact onthe designed American landscape. This newbook aims to document the lives, careers, de-sign philosophies, and in some cases, surviv-ing landscape legacies of those who haveshaped the American landscape. The HistoricLandscape Initiative of the National ParkService in cooperation with The CATALOGof Landscape Records in the United States atWave Hill (CATALOG), and several other co-sponsors started in 1992 to collect biograph-ic, bibliographic, and archival information onthese visionary individuals. The project seeksto document not only professional landscapearchitects, such as Frederick Law Olmsted,Thomas D. Church, Jens Jensen or BeatrixFarrand, but also those who have played a sig-

nificant role in shapingour landscape heritage. In allcases, this is the necessary contex-tual information to guide treatment and man-agement decisions for any designed landscape.

The Pioneers book project grew out of thelarger National Park Service (NPS) database,an evolving compendium that contains sev-eral thousand entries. This publication is oneattempt to make this collection of informa-tion available to researchers, practitioners, andhomeowners. The biographical entries havebeen supplemented with more than 420 il-lustrations including historic and contempo-rary photographs, plans, sections, postcards,engravings, paintings and other ephemera thatin many cases are unpublished. A unique

Reynolda Gardens in Winston-Salem,North Carolina, the third project in the

Historic Landscape Initiative’s on-line tech-nical information series, Cultural LandscapeCurrents, has just been posted on their website,www.tclf.org/hli/currents. Unlike the first twoCurrents that deal with larger, linear land-

scapes, this most recent projectis on a smaller scale––a fouracre site which addresses issuesof change and continuity witha primary focus on substituteplant materials and vegetationmanagement.

The formal gardens atReynolda were designed as partof the original estate formerlyowned and developed by theR. J. Reynolds family. The gar-dens, as well as the rest of theestate, which included a work-

ing farm and village, were developed in theearly 1900s when the family decided to leaveits residence in the city and move to what wasthen a rural location. The estate, known asReynolda, was the primary residence for R. J.Reynolds and his wife Katharine SmithReynolds until their deaths in 1918 and 1924,respectively. Their children continued to liveon the estate for a number of years. In the mid1930s, the Reynolds’ daughter Mary and herhusband, Charles Babcock, bought control ofthe property from the other children and man-aged it for approximately twenty years.

Since 1958 the estate and gardens havebeen in the ownership of Wake ForestUniversity (WFU). The house and surround-ing twenty acres, known as Reynolda House,Museum of American Art, is managed byReynolda House, Inc. The house is open to

Reynolda Gardens:Pink and White Garden AFTER rehabilitation

Photo courtesy The Jaeger Company

continued on page 14

continued on page 4

AN OCCASIONAL RECORD OF THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE HISTORIC LANDSCAPE INITIATIVE VOLUME II, ISSUE 1 / 2000

V I N E Y A R Dr e v e a l i n g t h e r e l a t i o n s h i p b e t w e e n A m e r i c a n s a n d t h e i r l a n d

Robert StantonDirectorKatherine H. StevensonAssociate Director, Cultural Resource Stewardship and Partnershipsde Teel Patterson TillerDeputy Associate Director, Cultural Resource Stewardship and PartnershipsJohn RobbinsAssistant Director, Cultural ResourceStewardship and PartnershipsSharon C. Park, FAIAChief, Technical Preservation ServicesCharles A. Birnbaum, FASLACoordinator, Historic Landscape InitiativeLaurie E. HemptonDesign and Production

Mission of the National Park ServiceThe National Park Service is dedicated to conserving unim-paired the natural and cultural resources and values of theNational Park System for the enjoyment, education, and inspi-ration of this and future generations. The Service is alsoresponsible for managing a great variety of national and inter-national programs designed to help extend the benefits of nat-ural and cultural resource conservation and outdoor recreationthroughout this country and the world.

VINEYARD–VOLUME II, ISSUE 1–PAGE 2

HPSHeritagePreservationServices

In This Issue–FeaturesHistoric American Landscape Survey 3Currents on Reynolda 4TechSpec Online Series 5Pioneers of American Landscape Design 14

In The FieldTudor Place 6Pullman, Illinois 7Louisville’s River Road Update 8

In Every IssueSurvey: Historic Orchards 9Survey: Massachusetts 10Treatment: Illinois 11

UpdatesColonial Revival Landscapes 17National Preservation Institute 17“Connections” Video 17Pioneers Symposium 17

The Last Word 18

Welcome toVINEYARD

Within the contents of this second edition we are pleased to announce theavailability of several National Park Service Historic Landscape Initiativeundertakings that include on-line, published and video offerings. Perhapsthe most ambitious of these endeavors is featured in our cover story, theMcGraw-Hill publication, Pioneers of American Landscape Design. Mostimportant, the Pioneers project is a partnership model––with over 200contributing national organizations, universities, archives, authors andphotographers all of who donated their time and resources.

Also in this issue, continuing in the tradition of our first edition, we highlighttwo HLI partnership projects, both of which are National HistoricLandmarks––the town of Pullman, Illinois, and the Tudor Place HistoricHouse Museum and Gardens in Georgetown, Washington, DC. At bothof these locales, HLI staff has worked with regional and local groups tohelp understand the significance of their cultural landscapes and establishappropriate preservation planning strategies.

This edition of Vineyard also highlights two new HLI technical offerings. Thefirst, is our next Currents in our on-line technical series—ReynoldaGardens, an early 20th Century formal garden design by landscape archi-tect Thomas Sears in Winston-Salem. Unlike the first two Currents thatdeal with larger, linear landscapes, Reynolda is just four acres. The pri-mary focus of this publication is on substitute plant materials and vegeta-tion management within the context of assessing the landscape’s changeand continuity.

Our second technical offering is our new Tech Spec series, “Making CulturalLandscapes Accessible.” This new on-line series highlights notable ad-vances that have been made in the area of preserving and maintainingcultural landscapes. This initial offering focuses on preservation initiativesto make three nationally significant landscapes universally accessible to allwhile employing creative solutions in a manner that retains their distinc-tive character. The electronic publication emphasizes the use of stabilizedsoils in the development of accessible walk surfaces.

Finally, we continue to highlight outside project work in the areas of innovativesurvey and treatment projects. This includes the first-ever, comprehensiveinventory of significant scenic, cultural, and historic landscapes across anindividual state being undertaken by the Massachusetts Department ofEnvironmental Management (DEM). The pilot project to be completedin 2001 is located along three watersheds. Known as the MassachusettsHeritage Inventory, this comprehensive survey is an exciting and ambi-tious project of national import.

The treatment project highlights a landscape from the recent past—a five cityblock section along Chicago’s State Street. Taking place through theIllinois Institute of Technology (IIT) campus, designed by architect Miesvan der Rohe along with landscape architect Alfred Caldwell, this treat-ment project is scheduled to start construction later this year. Whatmakes this rehabilitation project unique is its ability to reinstate historicspatial relationships while accommodating a new compatible design thatcan be easily managed.

Finally, note that since our first edition of Vineyard was published last fall, thepublication is now available on line at www2.cr.nps.gov/hli.

Charles A. Birnbaum, FASLACoordinator, Historic Landscape Initiative

Mission of the Historic Landscape InitiativeThe Historic Landscape Initiative develops preservation plan-ning tools that respect and reveal the relationship betweenAmericans and their land. The Initiative provides essentialguidance to accomplish sound preservation practice on a vari-ety of landscapes, from parks and gardens to rural villages andagricultural landscapes. The Historic Landscape Initiative iscommitted to ongoing preservation of cultural landscapes thatcan yield an improved quality of life for all, a sense of place,and identity for future generations.

VINEYARD–VOLUME II, ISSUE 1–PAGE 3

On April 28, 2000, an all-day meeting washeld at the National Arts Club in New

York City to explore the potential prospectsfor the creation of a Historic AmericanLandscape Survey (HALS). The day was or-ganized by Paul Dolinsky, Chief, HistoricAmerican Buildings Survey (HABS) alongwith Catha Grace Rambusch, Director,CATALOG of Landscape Records in theUnited States at Wave Hill.

The seventeen participants from acrossthe country represented a variety of NPS part-ners both private and public practice, andacademia. The meeting was presided overby Robert Z. Melnick, FASLA, Dean,Architecture and Allied Arts, University ofOregon. During the course of the day fourdiscussion topics were facilitated by RobertPage, ASLA (Director, Olmsted Center forLandscape Preservation, Brookline, MA);Suzanne L. Turner, ASLA (Baton Rouge, LA);Patricia O’Donnell, FASLA (Principal,Landscapes, Charlotte, VT) and CharlesBirnbaum, FASLA (Coordinator, NationalPark Service, Historic Landscape Initiative,Washington, DC).

Discussion Topics ExploredThe Need for HALS: At the meeting’s on-

set, the working group recognized the tremen-dous growth and interest in the field oflandscape preservation as well as the substan-tial contribution in landscape documentationby HABS. The overall discussion examinedthe need for a survey to document theAmerican historic landscape. Earlier modelssuch as HABS, established in 1933, theHistoric American Engineering Record(HAER), created in 1969 and the initiativeknown as HAMMS (Historic AmericanMerchant Marine Survey) were presented andevaluated for a potential “fit” as the HALSmodel. Many of the participants echoedSuzanne Turner’s initial remark that “land-scape history needs equal standing, andGeorge Curry’s sentiment that “landscapes arenot buildings or bridges, and therefore requirespecific documentation tools and techniques.”

The Plan: The discussion explored whatHALS could be, including conceptualizingthe design of its collection. Several of theworking group participants stressed the ne-

cessity to understand the multidisciplinary as-pect of cultural landscapes and the need tounderstand the nature-culture interface. Alsoagreed upon, whatever shape HALS takes, aswith HABS and HAER, it would be un-doubtedly evolutionary.

Approaches and Differences: This sessionexplored how recording landscapes was dif-ferent than recording other cultural resources.The discussion focused on the necessary re-sources (material, financial, staff, etc.), for-mats and technologies that were to beconsidered when developing documentationguidelines and strategies. This was perhaps themost diverse discussion, hence reflecting theuniqueness of cultural landscapes and theneed for flexibility during their documenta-tion. Discussion topics included the nature ofthe illustrative quality of the work, capturingkinesthetic experiences (e.g. parkways, trails)and integrated learning possibilities (e.g. al-ready proven K-12 interest in the graphicquality and widespread geographic nature ofthe work, such as teaching students how to“read” and document the landscape).

Future Courses: This final session aimed todevelop a strategy to realize the HALS initia-tive. Project partners (e.g. intellectual, profes-sional, financial), other models (e.g. AIA

25-year award, Maine Historic LandscapeSurvey) and “the sell” (e.g. ASLA, Congress,etc.) were all explored and investigated.

At the meeting’s adjournment it wasagreed that a statement of the project’s need,its scope of work and a job description wouldbe generated for ASLA consideration. LenHopper, FASLA, President-elect of theSociety, stated at the meeting’s conclusion thathe was very optimistic about how HALS fitwith the ASLA’s current initiative on LivableCommunities. Following the meeting’s ad-journment, the participants went to GramercyPark where current opportunities for a HALSpilot project were explored.

In the months ahead the necessary ma-terials to gain broad-based support fromASLA National will be coordinated by meet-ing participants Cari Goetcheus, Co-chair,ASLA, Professional Interest Group onHistoric Preservation, Charles Birnbaum,Coordinator, Historic Landscape Initiative,and Paul Dolinsky, Chief, HABS. Stay tunedfor more details in the future issues ofVineyard.

FEATURES

Documenting Landscapes in America–The Prospect for a Historic American Landscape Survey

Site Plan & Site Section of Citrus Landscape,Riverside, California

Courtesy HAER, 1991

VINEYARD–VOLUME II, ISSUE 1–PAGE 4

the public and is interpreted as both a houseand art museum, featuring work by signifi-cant American artists of the twentieth centu-ry.

The primary designer of ReynoldaGardens was Thomas Sears (1880-1966, fea-tured in Pioneers of American LandscapeDesign, see related article in this issue), a land-scape architect from Philadelphia. The gar-dens, though designed and built relativelyearly in his career, were one of Sears’ bestknown works, and a place that he revisitedmany times after the initial installation. Hislayout for the gardens is geometric and sym-metrical with well-defined spaces and vistas,densely planted with perennials, annuals,bulbs, shrubs and allées of trees. Originally,about half were working vegetable and fruitgardens with a formal layout and borders ofornamental plants and lawn.

The house and grounds are typical of theCountry Place era of the early twentieth cen-tury. The formal gardens are also typical ofthe time, though unusual in their locationaway from the main house with easy accessfrom an adjacent public road. This allowedKatharine Reynolds, who oversaw and man-aged much of the planning and developmentof the entire estate, to share her garden withthe larger community.

The gardens had been actively main-tained and managed by the University for anumber of years, but over time, numerousproblems arose—mature and declining trees,overgrown vegetation, crumbling walls andfountains, deteriorating structures, over-usedpathways, and poor drainage. Due to inap-propriate additions and piecemeal replace-ment of plantings and materials, the gardensno longer conveyed the spacious, open feel

and formal visual relationships that were theintent of the original design. Money wasraised to reverse this downward trend byWFU, the garden staff, and Friends ofReynolda Gardens, the volunteer supportgroup. A construction budget of $1.2 millionplus a $1 million endowment for future main-tenance was made available for the project.The goal was to develop a Rehabilitation Planthat recognized and respected the historicalsignificance of the gardens in the context ofpresent day management and maintenanceconcerns. The plan developed by The JaegerCompany of Gainesville, Georgia, served asthe framework for this Current, guest authoredby the firm’s principal, Dale Jaeger.

The Rehabilitation PlanOverall, the Rehabilitation Plan evalu-

ates the original design intent within the con-text of the landscape’s contemporary use andmanagement concerns, it recognizes:1) All vegetation has a life span. Decline andreplacement is inevitable, the replacementplant material determines the level of au-thenticity;2) Historic vegetation is fragile and vulnerable;3) Knowledge of the garden staff shall be uti-lized, such collaboration results in support forthe project, and;4) The realities of maintenance.

The success of this project was almostguaranteed from the outset by the willingness

of Wake Forest University (WFU) to followthe recommendations of the historic landscapeconsultants. WFU recognized the uniquenessof this undertaking and retained a team of de-sign professions skilled in addressing historiclandscape issues. As difficult issues arose,WFU was receptive to doing what wasdeemed ‘best’ for the historic character of thegarden. Budget was always important, but wasnot the only consideration in decision-mak-ing.

The original intent by designers Miller,Buckenham, and Sears, and designer/owner,Katharine Smith Reynolds was immediatelyrecognized in this project. The desire of Searsand Mrs. Reynolds for an open spacious land-scape with views framed by strategically placedvegetation and axial pathways was lost in theovergrown vegetation and the deterioratedcondition of many of the original plantings.Vegetation management was a top priority.

Replacement of historic vegetation wasthe most difficult decision to make. Removalof the Japanese cedar allée was a controversialaction, but was somewhat tempered by thesuccessful propagation of the original plants.The propagated plants have performed ex-ceptionally well and were returned to the gar-den in early 2000, several years ahead ofschedule.

This project was also innovative in its useof new materials and technologies. As high-lighted in the text and photos which illustratethe project work, material substitutions andalterations to character-defining landscape fea-tures has been successful––both as a historicpreservation project and as a sustainable de-sign solution. For example, the polypropylenemesh subsurface treatment used along heavi-

FEATURES

Currents on Reynoldacontinued from cover

Reynolda Gardens,Overgrown Pink and White Garden,BEFORE Rehabilitation.Photo courtesy The Jaeger Company

Lion’s Head Fountain, Reynolda Gardens(left) DURING (right) AFTER Rehabilitation

Photos courtesy The Jaeger Company

VINEYARD –VOLUME II, ISSUE 1–PAGE 5

ly-trafficked pedestrian ways has worked welland the grassed pathways, except in a fewshady spots, show little signs of wear. Theroots of the Bermuda grass now extend over afoot below the surface, illustrating the healthycondition of the turf. The moisture problemsassociated with the retaining walls have dis-appeared and their outer surface shows nosigns of scaling or peeling. The barrier-freeramp solution has been deemed almost toosuccessful—it is so unobtrusive that visitorscan’t find it and when they do, they are attimes reluctant to walk on the grass. Strategicsignage is now being used to remedy this sit-uation.

Throughout this project, the Gardens’staff was a major partner to the consultinglandscape architects in all phases of work.They assisted in the development of the plan’srecommendations, particularly in identifyingmaintenance implications in various designoptions, and implementing many of the plan’srecommendations. The completed plan hasbeen well received by the garden staff, uni-versity, and local community as well as nu-merous out-of-state and out-of-countryvisitors. The gardens, which provide for bothpassive use and organized programs, todaywelcome over 100,000 visitors yearly, twen-ty-four hours a day, free of charge.

How-to assistance for cultural landscapesis what the Historic Landscape

Initiative’s new on-line TechSpec is all about.The focus of this technical series is to highlighta specific preservation issue and provide guid-ance for selecting an appropriate design solu-tion—one that uses readily available materialsand appropriate methods in order to meet theSecretary of the Interior’s Standards for theTreatment of Historic Properties and theGuidelines for the Treatment of CulturalLandscapes.

“Making Cultural Landscapes Accessible”is the title of the inaugural offering in the se-ries. It illustrates the exciting technologicaladvances made in the area of accessibility tohistoric properties, particularly since passageof the Americans with Disabilities Act of1990. Now, cultural landscapes can be madeuniversally accessible employing creative so-

lutions and in a manner that retains theirdistinctive character.

This TechSpec highlights the newest con-cept in accessible walk surfaces, often called“stabilized soils.” Stabilized soils use an addi-tive in the top 4 to 6 inches of the soil to pro-vide a more resilient surface for walks, trails,drives, roads, and parking lots. Using threecase studies in a problem/solution format, theTechSpec gives a brief overview of the differ-ent products available today—from liquidsand powders to plastic filaments—and de-scribes their characteristics and use in specif-ic work projects. Case studies includeReynolda Gardens, in Winston-Salem, NC;Crissy Field, Golden Gate NationalRecreation Area, San Francisco, CA; andDumbarton Oaks Park in Washington, DC.

Look for the TechSpec series on the HLIwebsite at www2.cr.nps.gov/hli.

FEATURES

For additional information on the history of southern gardens and thetreatment and management of historic vegetation, see:

Historical ContextBriggs, George R. Gardening in the South. New York: A.T. DeLaMare

Company, Inc., 1931.

Shaffer, E.T. H. Carolina Gardens: The History, Romance and Tradition of ManyGardens of Two States Through More than Two Centuries. The University of

North Carolina Press, 1939.

Griswold, Mac and Weller, Eleanor. The Golden Age of American Gardens, ProudOwners, Private Estates, 1890-1940. New York: Harry N. Abrams, 1988.

Mayer, Barbara. Reynolda: A History of an American Country House. Winston-Salem, NC: John F. Blair for Reynolda House Museum of American Art, 1997.

Treatment and ManagementBirnbaum, Charles A. Landscape Composition Preservation Treatment: Defining an

Ethic for Designed Landscapes. Bethesda, MD: National Association forOlmsted Parks, 1992.

Cobham, Ralph, ed. Amenity Landscape Management––A Resource Handbook.New York: Van Nostrand. 1990.

Meier, Lauren G. and Nora J. Mitchell. “Principles for Preserving Historic PlantMaterial.” CRM, Vol. 13, No. 6 (1990): pp. 17-24.

Rempel, Sharon. “Conserving and Managing Living PlantCollections.” APT Bulletin XXIV, No. 3-4 (1992): pp. 69-70.

TechSpec New Online Series

Installation of new stabilized walk surface.Pu’uhonua o Honaunau National Historical Park

Photo courtesy Peggy Nelson, NPS

VINEYARD–VOLUME II, ISSUE 1–PAGE 6

IN THE FIELD

An Historic Garden Partnership

Lina Cortas and Frances White,Tudor Place Foundation, Inc.

style, the gardens present achronology that reflects thechanges of the surroundingneighborhood. While theEnglish, naturalistic style garden,with an open sweeping lawn, re-mains on the south side, thenorth garden reflects a more for-mal style with a box circle, a rose-filled knot garden, geometricallydesigned beds edged withclipped boxwoods, hard surfaced walks, anddiscrete garden rooms. The garden to thenorth of the house shows the imprint of its20th century owners and stewards. They su-perimposed various Colonial Revival featureson the garden’s Federal form including theLion Fountain, the Lily Pool, the PigeonHouse (actually the nearly 200 year oldsmokehouse), and numerous additional plant-ings. The last changes to the garden weremade by Armistead Peter III, as the last own-er of Tudor Place.

In 1966, while still residing at TudorPlace, the Peter family decided the propertyshould eventually be opened to the public andestablished a foundation to oversee and man-age the historic site after their death. They al-so granted a unique scenic easement to theDepartment of Interior to preserve the site,thus establishing a positive partnership withthe National Park Service. Armistead Peter IIIdocumented his knowledge of the site; todayhis writings are the basis for our understand-ing of Tudor Place and how it should be in-terpreted to the public.

Tudor Placeopened to the public in1988. The foundationmaintained the garden asthe last Mr. Peter had leftit; however, minor modi-fications were made to thegrounds as they changedfrom a private residence toa public site. In the fall of1999, the foundation de-cided to explore ways ofdeveloping the underuti-lized areas of the garden inorder to further its educa-tional mission and inter-

Tudor Place stands alone in the nation’scapital as a house of architectural dis-

tinction lived in by six generations of the Peterfamily from 1805 to 1984. The builders anddesigners of its original gardens were ThomasPeter and his wife, Martha Custis Peter, agranddaughter of Martha Washington. TudorPlace comprises five and one-half acres in themiddle of Georgetown, Washington, D.C.The property, with its important Federal pe-riod home and related structures and gardens,is a designated National Historic Landmark.Tudor Place’s Garden Committee has recent-ly joined efforts with the National Park Serviceto study the historic fabric of the gardens andprepare a Cultural Landscape Report.

The Peters purchased this property in1805 with Martha Peter’s inheritance fromGeorge Washington. Originally, the groundsextended up to Road Street (now R St.) andit is believed that the main entrance may havebeen from the north. While the northernmostthird of the property was sold after MarthaPeter’s death in 1854, the remainder, as seentoday, was the home of the Peter family’s di-rect descendants until the last owner’s death in1983. Although no formally trained landscapearchitect designed any portion of Tudor Place,each owner was proud of their family con-nection to George Washington and main-tained the original Federal period design.

With the residence in the neoclassical

pretation of the site. The National ParkService was contacted and plans for thechanges were presented. After careful consid-eration of the property’s existing conditions,the National Park Service recommended thata Cultural Landscape Report (CLR) be pre-pared prior to initiating any changes in thegarden. The Historic Landscape Initiative wasinvited by the Garden Committee to presentand explain to its members the importance ofpreparing a CLR. Following the meeting, thecommittee and staff walked through the gar-dens where a discussion ensued about the con-tinuum of change and issues of authenticity.The Committee was provided with resourcematerials by the National Park Service on thetreatment of cultural landscapes and CLRs.While initially interested in new constructionwithin the historic setting, after the meeting,the Tudor Place Foundation decided to pro-ceed with undertaking the study of its gardenand prepare a CLR.

The first part of the Cultural LandscapeReport documents, analyzes, and evaluates thesite’s history and existing conditions. TudorPlace’s archives are rich in family diaries, let-ters, photographs and plans. The library in-cludes many of the family’s books on gardendesign and gardening. The archivist, with helpfrom several volunteers, is transcribing diariesspecifically noting all mentions of the garden.The group is also searching outside sourcesfor plans, photographs, aerial photographs,and articles that refer to the site. Tudor Place

LEFT: Tudor Place, site planTOP: Designed landscape, north facade

Courtesy National Park Service

VINEYARD–VOLUME II, ISSUE 1–PAGE 7

IN THE FIELD

has been able to connect with a graduate stu-dent in landscape architecture at VirginiaPolytechnic Institute who will assist with thedocumentation. As part of this work, the sig-nificant periods of design in the garden willbe identified and period plans prepared sothe site’s integrity and significance may bebetter understood. Once this has been com-pleted, the character-defining features of theNational Historic Landmark’s landscape canbe analyzed and evaluated within a broaderhistorical and physical context.

This work will ultimately form the basisfor a treatment approach that meets theSecretary of the Interior’s Standards for theTreatment of Historic Properties. The plan willaddress several challenges the foundationfaces: the long term management of a grow-ing, maturing, and ever-evolving public gar-den; the protection and maintenance of thegarden’s integrity; and the continued inter-pretation of a unique and surviving residen-tial garden design that spans two centuries ofchange and growth. The Tudor PlaceFoundation appreciates the support of theHistoric Landscape Initiative, and will relyon this relationship to successfully sustainthese efforts.

Pullman, Illinois: Planning for the Future of anIndustrial Town’s Historic Designed Landscape

Arthur Melville PearsonFree-lance writer, Pullman resident,and community activist

old Nathan Franklin Barrett to lay out thetown and design the landscape. Beman wonthe job by designing an administration build-ing capped by an impressive clock tower andflanked by two construction shop wings. Hisother designs for the town included theQueen Anne style Hotel Florence; the glass-roofed Arcade Building that housed shops,the Pullman Bank, an 8,000-volume library,and the 1,000-seat Arcade Theatre; theGreenstone Church, made of a green-huedSerpentine limestone; and over 750 residentialunits of employee “cottages” (rowhouses thatwere equipped with indoor plumbing, heatingand skylights) which featured over 80 differ-ent facade variations.

Barrett’s original landscape design wasequally impressive, with Lake Vista, a combi-nation reflecting pool for the PullmanAdministration Building and cooling pondfor the Corliss Engine that powered the shops;Athletic Island built into adjacent LakeCalumet; Arcade Park, the town’s lavish for-mal garden; winding foot and carriage pathsflanked by beds of native forbs; and a green-house where more than 100,000 annuals werecultivated each year for planting throughoutthe town at company expense.

Over the past 120 years, the town ofPullman has undergone many changes. Afterthe death of George Pullman in 1897, and anIllinois Supreme Court ruling that same yearthat forced the company to sell all non-in-dustrial properties, the company steadily cutback its interest in the town. In time, severalbuildings were demolished and the landscapeall but gone due to a combination of willfulchanges and neglect. In 1960, a local chamberof commerce recommended that the entiretown be razed in favor of a light industrialpark. That same year, the Pullman CivicOrganization was formed and defeated theplan. The town of Pullman became a StateLandmark in 1969, a National HistoricLandmark District in 1971, and a City ofChicago Landmark in 1972. In 1973, thePullman Civic Organization established theHistoric Pullman Foundation to continuepreservation and education efforts.

In the past 30 years, a great deal of at-tention has focused on Beman’s remaining

“I stepped from the cars. Beauty, graceand art met me on every hand. I had seenlandscape gardening elsewhere. Here wasalso architectural gardening. Eye andtaste at once [were] content and glad.”Stewart L. Woodford, Dedication speaker, PullmanArcade Theatre, 1883.

One of the nation’s first industrial towns,and certainly one of its most famous,

Pullman, Illinois was noteworthy for manyreasons, including its exceptional beauty.George Pullman, pioneering founder of thePullman Palace Car Company, believed in the“commercial value of beauty.” Beautiful sur-roundings, he reasoned, would make for con-tented employees. Contented employeeswould be more productive, resulting in a su-perior product for the public and greater prof-its for the company. And he followed throughwith that vision.

Most of the town was built between 1880and 1892 on 500 acres of then “bare prairie,”about 16 miles south of downtown Chicago.Pullman selected 26-year old Solon SpencerBeman to design the buildings, and 34-year

Arcade Park, c. 1893Town of Pullman, Illinois

Photo courtesy Arthur Melville Pearson

VINEYARD–VOLUME II, ISSUE 1–PAGE 8

IN THE FIELD

buildings. Unfortunately, almost no attentionhas been paid to Barrett’s original landscape.Interest in the Pullman landscape began withthe rehabilitation of the Hotel Florence rosegarden. Research discoveries suggested thatthe rose garden was not part of the originallandscape. This proved to be the catalyst thatlead to the discovery of how the original land-scape actually appeared. Information aboutthe original landscape was difficult to comeby because Nathan Barrett, one of the tenfounding members of the American Societyof Landscape Architects, had all but disap-peared from the pages of history.

Fortunately, at the time of this research,Stephanie Foell of Robinson & Associates inWashington, DC had been assigned the taskof writing the biographical essay on Barrettfor Pioneers in American Landscape Design (seecover story in this issue of Vineyard). Whileworking with Ms. Foell on this project, aframework for research was created, as well asa process by which to involve others in thePullman community. At the onset, the treat-ment of historic landscapes was viewed as anew concept, even among the preservation-minded.

In March of this year, the HistoricLandscape Initiative came to Pullman to addto the process of informing the communityabout the latest research findings. How thedesigned landscape of this National HistoricLandmark district might be approached in thework project was discussed in relationship tothe Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for theTreatment of Historic Properties. The Initiativealso explained how to use the Guidelines for theTreatment of Cultural Landscapes, after select-ing the most appropriate treatment, andstrategized about preservation planning prac-tices within the Pullman community context.

The Initiative’s visit consisted of a walkingtour of the Pullman landscape, and a slidepresentation at the Greenstone Church.Attendees, numbering more than fifty, in-cluded representatives from the Pullman TaskForce, the Chicago Park District, the NationalTrust for Historic Preservation, theLandmarks Preservation Council of Illinois,the Commission on Chicago Landmarks, theHistoric Pullman Foundation and thePullman Civic Organization. The programprovided several opportunities: 1) it helpedopen eyes to the definition of “landscape,” ingeneral, encouraging the community to takenotice of their landscape, 2) it provided toolsfor better understanding and talking aboutlandscape, and 3) it challenged people to ac-knowledge change and continuity in the land-scape over time.

What are the next steps for the landscapeeffort in Pullman? This depends on the finalrecommendation of the Pullman task force,chaired by former Illinois Governor JamesThompson. The task force’s interim reportacknowledges the original landscape as an im-portant area of focus when considering fu-ture redevelopment and historic preservationof the Pullman historic district. What prior-ity the landscape will be afforded, given theextensive building rehabilitation necessary forthe Administration Building and the HotelFlorence, remains to be seen. In the mean-time, several members of the local commu-nity meet on a regular basis to continue theresearch process in accordance with theSecretary of the Interior’s Guidelines. When thetime comes to undertake landscape preserva-tion planning and treatment work, thePullman community is ready to hit theground running.

Arcade Park,Contemporary View.

Compare the present areas ofmown lawn with ornamental

shrub and annual plantings of acentury earlier (see image, page 7). Photo courtesy Charles Birnbaum

Country Place Era Estates ofLouisville’s River Road

Historic District:An Update

As a follow-up to our involvement withthe Kentucky Heritage Council and

Riverfields last year, (see Vineyard, Vol. 1,Issue 1), the HLI recently participated in aseries of events that highlighted the nationalsignificance of the “Country Estates of RiverRoad Historic District.” On May 18, the HLIcoordinator conducted a lecture about cul-tural landscapes and how Louisville’s CountryEstates District compares to other designedlandscapes across the country. The presenta-tion was followed by a meeting of Riverfields’Policy and Design Committee to discussstrategies for future planning and historicpreservation initiatives.

On May 20, as part of “Planning toPreserve: Kentucky’s Millennium HistoricPreservation Conference,” the HLI coordi-nator co-led a tour of the “Country Estates ofRiver Road Historic District.” Riverfields,along with the Kentucky Heritage Council,co-sponsored the mobile workshop entitled“Preserving Historic Landscapes.” Other pre-senters, including Meme Sweets Runyon,Director of Riverfields, and Mrs. BarryBingham, led a tour of such properties as“Melcombe” designed by pioneering land-scape architect Marion Coffin. Local author-ities also assisted as guides. Four mini buses ofconference registrants were afforded anoverview of the 700-acre collection of estatesfrom the Country Place era that are of na-tional import.

The HLI is now working withRiverfields to develop a public program fornext year. Being designed as a one-day event,the aim will be to educate owners and stew-ards about the national significance of theseestates and how to plan for their future preser-vation and management.

For more information about the“Country Estates of River RoadHistoric District,” contact:Riverfields, Inc. 643 West MainStreet, Suite 200, Louisville, KY40202-2921

VINEYARD–VOLUME II, ISSUE 1–PAGE 9

IN EVERY ISSUE: Survey

The National Park Service is launching anexciting new study of historic fruit and

nut orchards. The Park Cultural LandscapeProgram, the National Park Service programthat oversees the preservation of cultural land-scapes, is initiating a research study of or-chards within the national park system toidentify orchards with historic significanceand those that are repositories of rare or un-usual cultivars.

Humans have been cultivating orchardsin the world’s temperate growing regions forthousands of years, and experimenting withplant breeding for several hundred years. Asthe result of cross pollinating naturally oc-curring fruit species, such as Malus domesti-ca and Pyrus communis, humans havecreated many thousands of cultivated vari-eties (cultivars), including 8000 apple and ap-proximately 250 pear cultivars. The nationalparks have a surprising number of orchards,as they often contain old homesteads thatdate from the 18th through the early 20th-centuries, when the land was first settled andcultivated by emigrants. Fruit and nut or-chards are sometimes the only surviving tracesof these homesteads, where they may retainthe genetic stock of rare or unusual cultivarsthat are no longer found in commercial or-chards.

Fruit and nut breeding has followed sim-ilar trends to other crop hybridization in the

20th-century. Crop improvement for higheryields, pest and disease resistance, uniformi-ty in appearance, ease of harvesting, anddurability in storage, have resulted in far few-er cultivars being grown commercially, andthe extinction of hundreds of old cultivars.These old cultivars may have had excellenttaste, but lacked the other characteristics re-quired by commercial growers. Throughoutthe world, agricultural biodiversity is erodingat a rate of 2% per year. Numerous publicand private organizations are just beginningto recognize the magnitude of this trend andto respond with inventory and conservationefforts. The conservation of agricultural cropbiodiversity is critical to ensure an adequatefood supply for the world in the future. Theworld’s food supply is based on intensive agri-culture, which relies on genetic uniformity.However, this uniformity increases crop vul-nerability to pest and stresses. Plant breedersand growers must have access to genetic di-versity in order to create new cultivars thatcan resist pests, diseases and environmentalstresses. The favorable characteristics of oldfruit and nut cultivars can be bred into newcultivars, resulting in fruit and nut trees thatcan resist new pest and disease infestationsand other environmental changes, but retainthe benefits of the taste and appearance ofold cultivars.

The genes of many food crops can beconserved through seed conservation. TheUnited States Department of AgricultureNational Plant Germplasm System conservescrop germplasm in repositories throughoutthe United States, and several grass roots or-

ganizations like the SeedSavers Exchange also exist toconserve and distribute theseed of heritage plants.Human-created cultivars offruits and nuts, as opposed tonaturally occurring varieties of

species, pose different challenges for geneticconservation. Cultivars cannot be producedtrue to type from seed, and therefore theymust be conserved as vegetative tissue, eitherthrough tissue culture, or as living plants. TheNational Park Service is planning to workwith the USDA Germplasm Repositories toidentify and conserve the genetically signifi-cant fruit and nut cultivars of orchards with-in the national parks. Additionally,preservationists will eventually become ac-quainted with a new goal for their work incultural landscapes––the conservation ofglobal biological diversity.

This article was provided by Cari Goetcheus,Landscape Architect, with the National Park Service,Park Cultural Landscape Program.

Biodiversity Conservation in Historic Orchards

Field inventory of 130-year oldpear tree on a 19th-century

homestead in San Juan Island.National Historical Park

Photo courtesy Susan Dolan

Susan Dolan, Landscape ArchitectColumbia Cascades Support OfficeNational Park Service

The Trout Pear, Pyrus communis “Forelle”is an example of a rare cultivar that was

common in the US during the 19th century.Photo courtesy USDA NCGR-Corvallis

For further information about historic plantmaterial sources for landscape projects refer to:

Donahue, John. "Managing Orchards, ADifficult Resource." CRM 8, no. 5 (1985):pp. 3, 5, 13. Management plan for the JohnMuir National Historic Site, Martinez, CA.

Firth, Ian J. W. "Biotic Resources inHistoric Landscapes." Courier 34, no. 8(1989): pp. 14-15. Issues of historicalsignificance, including historic orchardssurvey example.

Harvey, Robert R. "A Computer GeneratedKeyword Index to the Selection of PlantMaterial for Plumb Grove, Iowa." APTBulletin 11, no. 4 (1979): pp. 31-48.Treatment for nineteenth century orchards.

National Park Service. Landscape Lines 4:Historic Plant Material Sources.Washington, DC: USDI, NPS, ParkHistoric Structures & Cultural LandscapesProgram, 1998. 11pp.

VINEYARD–VOLUME II, ISSUE 1–PAGE 10

IN EVERY ISSUE: Survey

Resources is in the early stages of imple-menting a program developed with theTrustees of Reservations and HistoricMassachusetts Inc, two statewide landscapepreservation organizations. The informationavailable through the Heritage LandscapeInventory will provide a valuable tool for allcommunities concerned with communitypreservation and planning for growth.

The project, which starts and ends at thelocal level, is an opportunity for residents toidentify the landscapes that make their com-munity unique. Communities, state and lo-cal agencies, and private organizations willbenefit from the comprehensive inventory in-formation and protection strategies, whichwill include information on available toolssuch as the grant and acquisition programs.

Goals of the InventoryThe Massachusetts Heritage Inventory

aims to: ● Focus public attention on the broad

range of scenic and cultural landscapesthroughout the Commonwealth.

● Encourage land conservation and his-toric preservation agencies and organizationsto work together more closely on matters ofshared interest.

● Develop more effective landscape pro-tection strategies for state agencies, munici-palities and non-profit organizations toemploy, working collaboratively wheneverpossible.

● Alert communities and landowners tothe value of protecting and linking scenic and

cultural landscapesin a mutually rein-forcing network.Experience hasshown that greaterawareness on thepart of landownerswill lead to signif-icant conservationopportunities.

The Massachusetts Department ofEnvironmental Management (DEM) is

initiating a comprehensive inventory of sig-nificant scenic and cultural landscapes acrossthe state beginning with a pilot project inthree watersheds. Known as theMassachusetts Heritage Inventory, this com-prehensive survey will include scenic, cultur-al and historic landscapes such as workingagricultural landscapes, industrial grounds,estates, town centers, cemeteries and burialgrounds, roads and trails, ocean beaches anddunes, archaeological sites, gardens and oth-er designed and vernacular landscapes thatdefine the character of a community.

Over the last decade, the Massachusettslandscape has been altered dramatically asgrowth patterns have changed and openspaces have given way to subdivisions andshopping malls. In an effort to educate citi-zens and local officials to help guide how andwhere development occurs in Massachusetts,Secretary Bob Durand of the MassachusettsExecutive Office of Environmental Affairs hasestablished the Community PreservationProgram to protect and enhance the qualityof life, community by community, watershedby watershed, across theCommonwealth. Tosupport Secretary Durand’s goals of commu-nity preservation, DEM’s Office of Historic

● Provide a framework for conservationplanning and priority setting by agencies andorganizations committed to landscape pro-tection.

● Encourage municipalities and privateorganizations to become more active and ef-fective in carrying out conservation andpreservation projects in a strategic manner.

ApproachUsing a watershed-based planning approach,the inventory will document the state’s mostvaluable scenic and cultural landscapes. Theproject will begin with a pilot phase in theTaunton River, Buzzard’s Bay, andNarragansett Bay/Mount Hope watershedsin the southeast region of the state. The in-tense growth pressures facing the communi-ties in this part of the state underscore theneed for the inventory in this region. The pi-lot watersheds have strong regional planningorganizations and a variety of land trusts andwatershed alliances that will provide oppor-tunities for linkages with local communities.These areas offer a unique opportunity to testthe methodology on the region’s diverse land-scapes, including coastal and estuarinescenery, urban centers, working farms andwoodlands.

The project will be conducted in fourphases. The first phase will involve con-stituency-building, public education and re-connaissance-level inventory. A team ofconsultants with experience in the documen-tation of cultural landscapes will work close-ly with DEM municipal staff and volunteersto carry out the inventory in each watershedarea. Local input and identification of signif-icant landscapes will be solicited through aseries of educational forums, training work-shops and field survey. During phase two,with the support of the MassachusettsHistorical Commission and a regional panel,DEM will assess the landscapes identified andevaluate them for inclusion in the statewideheritage landscape atlas. Phase three will resultin landscape designation and the implemen-tation of a marker program. The final phasewill provide for technical assistance and fol-low-up by program staff. The pilot project isexpected to be complete by June 2001.

The end products will include:● Completion of historic property in-

ventory forms meeting the professional stan-dards developed by the Secretary of theInterior.

Preserving Heritage Landscapes in Massachusetts

Patrice Kish, DirectorOffice of Historic Resources,Massachusetts Department of Environmental Management

Town Common,East Bridgewater, MA

Photo courtesyMassachusetts DEM continued on page 14

VINEYARD–VOLUME II, ISSUE 1–PAGE 11

IN EVERY ISSUE: Treatment

Rehabilitation in Context: Alfred Caldwell’s Planting Design for theIllinois Institute of Technology––Rediscovered and Interpreted

Peter Lindsay Schaudt, FAAR,ASLAPeter Lindsay Schaudt Landscape Architecture, Inc.

Editor’s Note: This spring, the HLI participat-ed in an all day workshop in Chicago that fo-cused on the preservation of modern landscapearchitecture. Organized by the MortonArboretum, the mobile workshop included apresentation and discussion surrounding the fu-ture planning and management at the IllinoisInstitute of Technology. The paper that followshighlights the current project work. Althoughnot defined as a traditional “landscape preser-vation project,” the work meets the Secretary ofthe Interior’s Standards for RehabilitationProjects and serves as a successful solution inwhich issues of history, the original designer’s in-tent, the growth and habit of tree species andcurrent ecological and zoning issues are careful-ly understood and balanced. As this project isrealized, the Vineyard editors encourage the de-velopment of on-site interpretation so that thehistoric core can be distinguished from the newproject for future visitors.

The transformation of five city blocksalong State Street, from 30th to 35th

Street, is taking place through the IllinoisInstitute of Technology (IIT) campus, de-signed by Mies van der Rohe (figure 1). Thedesign concept is the result of the 1999 IITWest Campus Landscape Master Plan au-thored by Michael Van ValkenburghAssociates, Inc. of Cambridge and PeterLindsay Schaudt Landscape Architecture, Inc.(PLSLA, Inc.) of Chicago. The design devel-opment and construction drawings for this

project were prepared by PLSLA. Inc.Construction is scheduled to start in June2000, and be completed by November 2000,at a cost of approximately $4.2 million. Twodistinguished alumni have created a matchingendowment fund of $120 million for the re-habilitation of the Mies van der Rohe build-ings and associated landscape. Furthermore,deferred landscape maintenance and a lack ofcommitment over the last 30 years have cre-ated a compromised and monotonous look-ing landscape, this condition gives the publica negative impression of past good intentions.

IIT has re-discovered the importance ofits historic landscape as it relates to the Miesbuildings and the legacy of Alfred Caldwell(1903-1998), the landscape architect for thebuildings when they were constructed in the1940’s. Although he never fully developed alandscape master plan, Caldwell’s conceptshave had a lasting influence on the IIT designcommunity. Phase one of the master plan forthe landscape improvements are currently be-ing completed.

BackgroundState Street is one of the major north-

south streets connecting the “loop” to thesouth side of Chicago (figure 2). Historically,elevated rail tracks just east of State Streethave divided the east and west sides of theIIT campus into two 60-acre halves. The sub-ject of the recent international competitionfor a new student center focused on a site thatwould “bind” the two halves. Rem Koolhaas’winning scheme literally extends below the“El” tracks and features a “tube” which en-velops the tracks from above, mitigating thedeafening noise of the trains.

The solution provided by this landscaperehabilitation project is radical yet simple:eliminate the on-street parking, which hasencroached on both sides of a median boule-vard, by extending the parkway width, thusallowing for the rehabilitation of the historiclandscape. By removing these parking areas,in addition to the regularly spaced “soldiercourse” tree plantings that were added at alater date, the rehabilitation project allows forreinstatement of the historic visual and spa-tial relationships.

Alfred Caldwell, a protégé of Jens Jensen,originally designed the IIT campus landscape.Caldwell collaborated with Mies van derRohe for most of his career until Mies died in

Figure 1:Illinois Institute ofTechnology Campus,aerial view looking north,State Street on right withthe “El.”Photo by Peter L. Schaudt

Figure 2:State Street looking north,

Crown Hall on left (contemporary view).Photo credit Leslie Schwartz

VINEYARD–VOLUME II, ISSUE 1–PAGE 12

1969. One of their most successful collabo-rations was Lafayette Park in Detroit.Ironically, it is one of Caldwell’s best pre-served landscape designs despite slight alter-ations over the years. Both men taught at IITfor many years and Caldwell designed andplanted many landscape “units” around cam-pus. Only two planting plans were discoveredin the IIT archive: Crown Hall (Mies’ mostfamous IIT building) and the east side resi-dential area around the famous chapel build-ing (also designed by Mies).

The discovery of the original 1956 plant-ing plan for Crown Hall, the core area of theCaldwell plan, stimulated the idea of creatinga new compatible design that reflected thehistoric tree planting concept. The location ofthe existing trees around the east side ofCrown or State Street (figure 3), when com-pared with the historic planting plan, are pre-cisely where the plan indicates, except wheredead trees were never replaced and inappro-priate plantings were later introduced. Thelyrical quality of the slightly undulating treespacing documents Caldwell’s design intentand the historic preservation philosophy forfuture tree planting and vegetation renewal.The fact that the original tree plantings arenearly 50 years old makes his design schemerecognizable. The undulating effect is visual-

ly understandable. The trees are spaced ap-proximately 16 to 18 feet apart and are offsetbetween 1 and 2 feet in the lateral direction.It was at this point that the idea took hold—take Caldwell’s design and create a compati-ble new design for the expansion of the fiveblock area through the heart of the campus.

Beyond the Historic CoreCaldwell inherited the “abstracted”

planting concept of the simple tree and lawnlandscape from Jensen. Their cooperativepark projects incorporated many native trees,shrubs and herbaceous materials, however,the reality of little maintenance and a harshurban environment at IIT left only two mainelements to work with––trees and lawn. Thisreduced palette for the new design actuallyworks well with the Mies buildings becausethe ground plane around the crisp buildingsis not obscured. Limbed-up trees planted ingroves “brackets” contrasts the machine-likebuildings in a subtly picturesque way. In fact,one recommendation of the rehabilitationplan is to eliminate all shrubs around existingbuildings. Interestingly, Caldwell never rec-ommended shrub plantings and those thatexist are later additions.

In addition to the planting renewal forthe core landscape area of the historically de-signed campus at Crown Hall, this projectcontinues along the five-block perimeter from30th to 35th streets. For this linear section,non-historic single trees that were more re-cently planted in even spaces along the park-way median were to be removed. Thecontemporary need to unite the two halvesof the campus was an important part of theproject and is sympathetic with Caldwell’s de-sign philosophy—to create a visual connec-tion between the north-south landscaped

boulevard with the east-west “fusion” of treecanopies arching over the street. The new de-sign, a campus that is open on all sides, is avery Miesian concept; as a result, the ubiqui-tous “gateway” design solution was avoided.

The new plantings preserve existing his-toric materials and reinforce deterioratedspatial relationships that historically charac-terized the IIT campus landscape, whilemeeting contemporary use requirements. Forthe entire five-block section, new plantingsare to be installed in such a manner to protectthe essential form and integrity of the origi-nal campus plan. In sum, the results of thiswork will provide a visual equivalent of im-mersion in a tree canopy corridor, dramati-cally transforming the perception of arrivingat a special place. The idea of transparency ateye level is enhanced with large shade treeslimbed-up, there are no mid-sized floweringtrees obscuring the view across the street.

Vegetation Renewal For this rehabilitation plan, unanimous

approval was received from the ChicagoDepartment of Transportation and theMayor’s landscape committee, with the needfor one variance. The city’s tree spacing is astandard 25 foot minimum, it was expressedthat Caldwell’s spacing of 16 to 18 feet waspart of his design intent (as executed) andshould be adhered to. Another point was treemonoculture. Caldwell planted primarilyHoneylocust and Hawthorns. To reflect theoriginal designers intent, the landscape ar-chitects proposed that the quantity ofHoneylocusts dominate the tree palette at25% of the total project. The city’s maximumpercentage for one tree type on any project is20%. The planting plan calls for 300 newtrees (figure 4); the approved tree palette (fig-ure 5) is as follows:

IN EVERY ISSUE: Treatment

Figure 3:Caldwell’s honeylocusts on State Street.Photo credit Leslie Schwartz

Figure 4:Proposed planting plan of State Street and 33rd.

Photo courtesy Chandra Goldsmith for PLSLA, Inc.

VINEYARD–VOLUME II, ISSUE 1–PAGE 13

Honeylocust 25%Kentucky Coffee Tree 15%Elm Hybrids 15%Hackberry 10%Catalpa 10%White Ash 10%Burr Oak 10%Red Oak 5%

Due largely to the more recent, non-his-toric plantings, the existing landscape is large-ly a monoculture comprised of 98% GreenAsh, about 133 trees, 30 to 40 years of age,arranged along the 5 block stretch, on the sideparkways and medians. A small number ofLindens and Maples have also been plantedin the median within the past 5 years.

The existing cross section (figure 6) issymmetrical and consists of an 8-foot widesidewalk, an 11-foot parkway and a 33-foot,two-lane, one-way street with on-street park-ing. The current median is 23 feet wide. Theproposed rehabilitation scheme maintains thesidewalk at its historic width of 8 feet, and ex-pands the parkway from its narrowed width of11 feet to 22 feet thus eliminating the intru-sive on-street parking. The master plan pro-vides a solution for the displaced parking thisdesign creates. Both north and southboundlanes are maintained at 22-feet and the medi-an width remains 23 feet.

The rehabilitation of the plantings with-in the median is an interesting aspect of thisproject largely because of the old State Street

trolley line that ran along the western edgeof the existing median. Through archeologi-cal excavation, it was discovered that the railwas still in the median amid the granite cob-ble and asphalt pavement. It appears thatwhen the street was widened to the east themedian was constructed over the road andholes were dug for the trees. This plantingcondition clearly explains why the existingtrees are diseased and stunted. The proposedplan calls for extensive root pruning, cleansoil and the removal of all invasive vegetativegrowth between the trees. Vertical mulchingtechniques devised by the Morton Arboretumwill also be researched and utilized.

ConclusionThis project successfully reinstates the

landscape’s historic spatial relationships whilecreating a new compatible design that can beeasily managed. The new plantings will notonly reinforce Caldwell’s character-definingvisual relationships, but will do so while bal-ancing new uses. The project is scheduled tocommence on June 5, 2000, with comple-tion planned for the fall of 2000. New plant-ings are to be installed by the spring of 2001.

IN EVERY ISSUE: Treatment

Figure 5:Tree Palette and ProfilePhoto courtesy Peter L. Schaudt

Figure 6:Cross sections of State Street, before and after. Photo courtesy Chandra Goldsmith for PLSLA, Inc.

Selected Readings

Bennett, Paul. “Dialectic in aLandscape.” Landscape ArchitectureOctober 1999: 56-59.

Blaser, Werner. Architecture and Nature:The Work of Alfred Caldwell. Basel:Birkhäuser, 1984. Descriptions, pho-tographs and color drawings ofCaldwell’s most important built andunbuilt work. Caldwell’s essays fromTHE STRUCTURIST, “Architecture:Vision of Structure,” is also reprinted.

Domer, Dennis, Editor. AlfredCaldwell: The Life and Work of a PrairieSchool Landscape Architect. London andBaltimore: The Johns HopkinsUniversity Press, 1997. Through his ex-haustive use of varied sources, taped in-terviews, letters and introduction toCaldwell, Domer offers an unprece-dented study that establishes his placebeside other giants of twentieth-centu-ry landscape design.

Wilson, Richard Guy. “An Artist and aPoet, Alfred Caldwell IlluminatesNature’s Ways.” Landscape ArchitectureSeptember 1977: 407-12. Wilson re-views two of Caldwell’s major of the1930s: Eagle Point Park in Dubuque,Iowa, and the Lily Pool in Lincoln Parkin Chicago. Caldwell’s early work withJens Jensen, as well as his admirationfor Frank Lloyd Wright significantly in-fluenced these projects.

Watchers Series, contains twenty-one biog-raphical entries. However, Tishler recognizesthat a lack of information about the broaderpopulation of landscape professionals posesa challenge for historians and landscape ar-chitects when attempting to evaluate a prop-erty’s significance and establish its context. Inhis introduction, Tishler writes, “a better un-derstanding of this legacy can help to shapefuture environments that will continue, andperhaps even strengthen, the inseparable re-lationship American’s have always had withtheir land.”

Similarly, Bulletin 18: How to Evaluateand Nominate Designed Historic Landscapes(1987), an NPS publication of the NationalRegister of Historic Places, states that “deter-mining the relationship between an individ-ual landscape and the historic developmentand practice of landscape architecture is anessential factor in determining significance.”Collectively, these publications articulate thatif our goal is to understand the significanceand integrity of an individual landscape andultimately articulate a preservation philoso-phy, it is critical to understand the creator’sdesign philosophy, their body of profession-al work, and to understand and evaluate whatsurvives of their legacy on the American land-scape today. Following this, an historic de-signed landscape’s context can be established.

Fortunately, an ever-increasing numberof resources are available to achieve this goal

with a plethora of books and monographsabout landscape history, landscape types, andspecific designers’ works now available. In thepast decade alone, publications are significantin number and vary in topic—for a repre-sentative sampling see the bibliography onpage 16.

In addition to published works, a num-ber of traveling exhibitions have focused onsignificant landscape architects over the pastfive years. These exhibitions have been bothregional and national in scope, and have fo-cused on practitioners such as Frederick LawOlmsted, Sr., Ellen Biddle Shipman, GeorgeE. Kessler, Samuel Parsons, Jr., Calvert Vaux,Sid and Herbert Hare, Florence Yoch, andCharles A. Platt, among others.

Conferences on landscape history havealso increased in frequency and popularity,for instance––The CATALOG at Wave Hill

VINEYARD–VOLUME II, ISSUE 1–PAGE 14

FEATURES, continued

● Development of a “Citizen’s Guide”for identifying and protecting heritage land-scapes.

● Development of a comprehensive in-ventory atlas by watershed area, in printedand electronic formats using GIS and mixedmedia.

● Creation of an interactive website cur-rently under construction.

Once these steps are completed, the pi-lot phase will be evaluated and documentedin a final project report. The report will out-line the steps taken and methodology utilizedand will recommend funding strategies forthe statewide inventory. With the evaluationof the pilot phase complete, the inventorywill progress throughout all watersheds of thestate and be produced in both printed andelectronic formats. Outreach to communitieswill be continued through technical assis-tance. This partnership between the state andmunicipalities is intended to not only buildon local planning and preservation initiativesbut to make residents more aware of the va-riety, quality, and significance ofMassachusetts’ rich landscape heritage.

For more information on the MassachusettsHeritage Landscape Inventory, contact:

Patrice Kish, DirectorOffice of Historic Resources

Massachusetts Department ofEnvironmental Management

100 Cambridge StreetBoston, MA 02202Tel: 617.626.1378

Internet: patrice.kish@state.ma.us

continued from page 10

Pioneers of American LandscapeDesign

continued from front page

A meeting of the ASLA Pioneersat Colonial Williamsburg, ca. 1930.

Courtesy Manuscript Division, Library of Congress

“Pioneers is a treasure trove of informa-tion about the origins of the profession oflandscape design in this country. Thebook reveals the richness of the early de-sign legacy created by this country’s ear-liest landscape design movement. Itprovides a fascinating account of themany designers involved, the variety oftheir talents, and the range of their ac-complishments.”

Charles E. Beveridge

Agricultural landscape, Dartmouth, MAPhoto courtesy Massachusetts DEM

FEATURES, continued VINEYARD–VOLUME II, ISSUE 1–PAGE 15

along with the HLI sponsored “TheLandscape Universe: Historic DesignedLandscapes in Context” (1993), “PreservingModern Landscape Architecture” (1995), andmost recently, “If Only We Knew: LandscapePreservation in Context, 1890-1950” (1999).Collectively, these conferences explored theworks of a variety of Pioneers contained inthis publication. In addition, the GardenConservancy has sponsored a symposia seriestitled, “Masters of American Garden Design,”that explored a variety of garden designersand types from the California gardens ofLockwood deForest to the modern garden de-signs of James Rose. Other groups exploringthis area include the Society of American andRegional Planning History (along with theUrban History Association), the Society ofArchitectural Historians, the AmericanSociety of Landscape Architects, the NewEngland Garden History Society, theSouthern Garden History Society, theNational Association for Olmsted Parks, andthe George Wright Society.

Public awareness has found a moremainstream outlet with the issuance of apostage stamp by the National Postal Servicein September 1999 to commemorate“Frederick Law Olmsted, LandscapeArchitect.” The stamp, designed as a mon-tage, presents Olmsted at Vanderbilt’sBiltmore Estate as portrayed in the JohnSinger Sargent painting, along with imagesfrom New York’s Central and Prospect Parks.This suggests that the subject area has movedfrom a small circle of historians, practitioners

and concerned citizenry to a much broaderpublic who are eager to learn more aboutOlmsted and his contemporaries.

The Pioneers The 160 Pioneers included in this book

represent a broad range of skills, training andexpertise. Until now, a lack of informationabout these practitioners has posed a chal-lenge for anyone attempting to evaluate aproperty’s historical significance and estab-lish its context.

As previously noted, the need to providea nationwide context for evaluating designedhistoric landscapes and planning for their fu-ture has served as a catalyst for maintainingand expanding the NPS database and led tothe production of this expanded publication.Suzanne L. Turner, a professor of landscapearchitecture at Louisiana State University, en-capsulated the need for more thorough re-search and analysis in her epilogue to TheLandscape Universe (1993): “What is thiscanon of work that has preceded us, that haslaid the foundation for the practice of land-scape preservation? What are some of thebenchmarks against which we might com-pare the work that is being done by landscapearchitects and allied professionals?”

These questions are particularly impor-tant in preservation. The answers can deter-mine which landscapes are preserved,rehabilitated or restored while others may bealtered or razed without any public discourseor recognition of their importance. For ex-ample, the background events surroundingthe entry on Pioneer landscape architect

George Elberton Burnap (1885-1938) bestillustrates this point. Several years ago, histo-rian Deon Wolfenbarger contacted the HLIfor information about a relatively unknownlandscape architect who had done some workin St. Joseph, Missouri. Wolfenbarger want-ed to prepare a National Register nominationfor the St. Joseph Parks and Parkways System.The Historic Landscape Initiative sent her acopy of the draft entry for Burnap.Coincidentally, another landscape architect,Ethan Carr, requested background informa-tion while preparing a National HistoricLandmark nomination application forMeridian Hill Park in Washington, DC, an-other Burnap project. The HLI putWolfenbarger and Carr in touch with one an-other to share information. By placingBurnap in the national context of his land-scape design, both Wolfenbarger’s and Carr’snominations were successful. In fact,Meridian Hill Park became a NationalHistoric Landmark solely on the strength ofits significance in the field of landscape ar-chitecture. Because of her extensive research,Wolfenbarger consented to write the narrativefor Pioneers on Burnap.

Burnap (1885-1938) is representative ofmany of the other landscape architect Pioneerentries. Born in the second half of the nine-teenth century, he lived well into the twenti-eth century. His life spanned the crucialperiod that saw tremendous growth in the

In November 1922, James Greenleaf (far left) ofthe federal Commission of Fine Arts conferred with

Daniel Hull (middle left) and others on the plansfor the new village in Yosemite Valley.

Courtesy NPS Historic Photography Collection

“The book is more than a Who’s Who ofthe landscape architecture profession,Pioneers also introduces the fascinatinghistory of the designers of the Americanlandscape, from George Washington andThomas Jefferson to James Rose andThomas Church. Its 450 illustrations area rich source of inspiration to contem-porary designers, and its list of accessiblesites facilitates visits for truer under-standing of design principles.”

Peter Walker, FASLA

and William Bartram). He is also the onlyAfrican-American. The Banneker essay sug-gests that he was a key contributor to thewell-known Ellicott plan. Like African-Americans, women came late to the profes-sion and comprise thirty-one of the entries.Their contributions and careers are diverse inscope and geography. For example, GenevieveGillette’s lobbying and conservation work inMichigan, Beatrix Farrand’s campus work,Louise Beebe Wilder’s influential gardenbooks, and Kate Sessions as “the Mother ofBalboa Park” for her years of garden-makingat the site of two San Diego exhibitions.

An interesting theme emerged duringthe preparation of Pioneers, an interconnect-edness amongst the members of the landscapearchitecture profession emerged. For exam-ple: there were practitioners vying for thesame projects, such as the Boston ParkSystem, and the Central Park competition;others collaborated on designs and plans, suchas A.J. Downing Memorial Park inNewburgh, NY—the only known commis-sion where John Charles and Frederick LawOlmsted, Sr. collaborated together withCalvert and his son Downing Vaux; and thoseworking on the same landscapes at differenttimes, for instance, Nathan F. Barrett and lat-er Fletcher Steele at Naumkeag, Stockbridge,MA, and Guy Lowell, then later the OlmstedBrothers at the Coe Estate on Long Island.Over time, these practitioners continued tomentor and support each other professional-ly and academically.

Looking ahead, it is hoped that thePioneers of American Landscape Design willprovide the spark for better informed historicresearch, analysis, treatment and managementprojects. The National Park Service is com-mitted to understanding these Pioneers in thecontext of its stewardship and management ofcultural landscapes nationwide. It is crucialto realize—from forests to farmyards, citiesto cemeteries, roads to river corridors, park-lands to private homes—these landscapePioneers have literally shaped our nation.

Endnote: This article has been excerpted from the in-troduction by Charles A. Birnbaum for Pioneers ofAmerican Landscape Design. New York: McGraw-HillCompanies, Inc. 2000.

To purchase a copy of Pioneers ofAmerican Landscape Design, see“The Last Word” (back page).

VINEYARD–VOLUME II, ISSUE 1–PAGE 16

landscape architecture profession. Many ofthe Pioneers, for example, presented hereinwere contemporaries of Burnap. Some, suchas Alfred Caldwell, Marjorie Seawall Acutely,Thomas D. Church, Gilmore Clarke, UmberInnocenti, John Brinckerhoff Jackson,Norman Newton, James Rose, ChristopherTunnard and Harriett Wimmer lived theirprofessional lives entirely in the twentiethcentury. Other Pioneers preceded Burnap byseveral decades, including: Patrick Barry(1816-90), John Blair (1820-1906), H.W.S.Cleveland (1814-1900), Robert MorrisCopeland (1830-74), A. J. Downing (1815-52), Hans Jacob Ehlers (1804-58), LouisAugustus Ehlers (1835-1911), GeorgeEllwanger (1816-1906), Peter Henderson(1822-90), John Notman (1810-65), WilliamSaunders (1822-1900) and AlexanderWadsworth (1806-98). Significantly, manyof these important early landscape gardeners,such as Blair, Ehlers and Saunders have beenlargely absent from all histories of theAmerican landscape written to date. The en-try for John Blair, for example, states that his“reputation grew as a result of a horticultur-al display he designed for the 1865 ChicagoSanitary Fair, an event that probably broughthim into contact with Frederick LawOlmsted, Sr.”

Within this earlier time period a numberof practitioners, whose primary contributionswere the design of rural cemeteries (whichbegan with the design of Mt. AuburnCemetery in Cambridge, MA, in 1831), haveremained obscure and quite often, uncele-brated. This era of professional practice fromthe 1830s to the turn-of-the century includ-ed such Pioneers (and projects) as JacobBigelow (Mount Auburn Cemetery); HenryA. S. Dearborn (Forest Hills Cemetery); JohnNotman (Laurel Hill Cemetery,Philadelphia); Adolph Strauch (Spring GroveCemetery, Cincinnati); Alexander Wadsworth(Woodland Cemetery, Chelsea, MA);Downing Vaux (Rose Hill Cemetery, Linden,NJ); and Jacob Weidenmann (Cedar HillCemetery, Hartford, CT). Cedar Hill inci-dentally serves as the final resting-place forFrederick Law Olmsted, Sr.

Benjamin Banneker (1731-1806) is theleast-known Pioneer in the encyclopedia tolive and work in the eighteenth century (asidefrom George Washington, Thomas Jefferson

FEATURES, continued

The following bibliography is a rep-resentative sample of recent publi-cations on selected Pioneers writtenin the past few years.

Charles E. Beveridge and PaulRocheleau. Frederick Law Olmsted:Designing the American Landscape.New York: Rizzoli InternationalPublications, Inc., 1995.Paperbound edition, Universe Press,1998.

Domer, Dennis, ed. Alfred Caldwell:The Life and Work of a Prairie SchoolLandscape Architect. London andBaltimore: The Johns HopkinsUniversity Press, 1997.

Grese, Robert E. Jens Jensen: Makerof Natural Parks and Gardens.Baltimore: Johns HopkinsUniversity Press, 1992.

Hilderbrand, Gary R. Making aLandscape of Continuity: The Practiceof Innocenti & Webel. Cambridge:Harvard Graduate School of Designand Princeton Architectural Press,1997.

Kowsky, Francis. Country, Park, &City; The Architecture and Life ofCalvert Vaux. New York: OxfordUniversity Press, 1998.

Major, Judith K. To Live in the NewWorld: A. J. Downing and AmericanLandscape Gardening. Cambridge:MIT Press, 1997.

Tankard, Judith B. The Gardens ofEllen Biddle Shipman. New York:Sagapress/Abrams, 1996.

Treib, Marc and Dorothee Imbert.Garrett Eckbo: Modern Landscapes forLiving. Berkeley: University ofCalifornia Press, 1997.

Pioneerscontinued from previous page

VINEYARD–VOLUME II, ISSUE 1–PAGE 17

UPDATES

Planning, Design and Implementation for Historicand Cultural Landscapes

National PreservationInstitute

Mark your calendar for the upcomingseminar presented by the National

Preservation Institute: October 30-31, 2000,9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Los Angeles, CA in con-junction with the 2000 National Trust forHistoric Preservation Conference. This pro-gram will take place the two days before theopening of the Trust’s Conference.

From gardens and historic houses tosites of historic public buildings, campuses,townscapes and streetscapes, bridges andparkways, to parks, rural landscapes, and ar-chaeological sites, landscapes are an impor-tant part of our heritage. Discuss practicalapplications for historic and cultural land-scapes, including adaptive reuse, historicpreservation, restoration, and accessibility.Background information on applicable laws,regulations, and recent preservation theorywill be addressed, and aspects of scenic vistasand designed, cultural, rural, agricultural, andurban landscapes will be reviewed. Reviewthe opportunities available to protect and en-hance landscapes, including land acquisition,zoning, and scenic easements. Consider theimpact of institutional policy on landscapepreservation and discuss the types of treat-ments of historic sites that must take into ac-count the relationship of maintenanceplanning on design and budget. Faculty:Coordinator, Historic Landscape Initiative,National Park Service.

For registration information, seminaragenda, or a full listing of seminars inhistoric preservation and cultural re-source management, contact theNational Preservation Institute atwww.npi.org. Phone: 703.765.0100.Email: info@npi.org.

Colonial Revival Landscapes

Anational conference on the ColonialRevival is being held in Charlottesville,

Virginia, November 16-18, 2000. The con-ference is co-sponsored by the National ParkService and the University of Virginia’sDepartments of Architectural History andLandscape Architecture. The Colonial Revivalin all its manifestations is one of the mostpersistent elements in American culture; asdesign it may be our national idiom. A rangeof topics will be addressed including archi-tecture, landscape architecture, planning, his-toric preservation, decorative arts, paintingand sculpture, and the intellectual cultural

background of the phenomena popularlyidentified as the “Colonial Revival.” Newideas and perspectives that treat the subjectfrom its origins to recent manifestations in-cluding regional variations will be explored.

For more information, see conferenceweb site at http://arch.virginia.edu/colo-nial, or contact Richard Guy Wilson,Commonwealth Professor and Chair,Department of Architectural History,University of Virginia at 804.924.6462.

Perspective of theBanjamin WallerGarden. A ColonialRevival design bylandscape architectAlden Hopkins.Courtesy ColonialWilliamsburg.

Editor’s Note: In the previous issue of Vineyard (VolumeI, Issue 1), the credit for the Camden Amphitheater pho-to on page 9 should have read “Photo by Peter Hornbeck,courtesy Robin Karson.”

The documentary film, "Connections:Preserving America's Landscape Legacy" is avital tool for landscape and preservation pro-fessionals, technicians, community groups,faculty, students, and the general public. This55-minute award-winning film, narrated byAngela Lansbury, is now available for pur-chase from the American Society of LandscapeArchitects (ASLA) for only $13.99.

“Connections” Video nowavailable from the ASLA

Phone or FAX orders to the ASLABookstore. Phone: 800.787.2665, localcalls 301.843.8567, Monday to Friday9:00-5:00 EST, or fax: 301.843.0159.To order, use the item number "CONN."

The CATALOG of Landscape Records in theUnited States at Wave Hill (CATALOG) issponsoring a symposium on Friday,November 10th from 10am to 4pm at ArmorHall to celebrate the release of the McGraw-Hill publication, Pioneers of AmericanLandscape Design. Five speakers will discussthe visionary designers who shaped our lega-cy of designed landscapes. Space is limitedand advance registrations will only be ac-cepted. The $60 fee for the symposium in-cludes lunch. No cancellations will beaccepted. For information contact CathaGrace Rambusch, Director, CATALOG at718.549.3200, ext. 218.

PioneersOne-Day SymposiumNovember 10, 2000

Pioneers of American Landscape Design front page

Copies of Pioneers of American Landscape Design can be ordered through The CulturalLandscape Foundation’s website at www.tclf.org. Click on the “notebook” icon(news/events/articles) and select the hotlink “to order click here.” To order by phone,call McGraw-Hill Customer Service at 800.262.4729 or fax 614.755.3644.

An Historic Garden Partnershippage 6

Visit the gardens at Tudor Place, located at 1644 31st Street NW,Washington, DC 20007,phone: 202.965.0400. The gardens are open to the public for self-guided tours, Monday-Saturday 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. See their website (www.tudorplace.org) for more detailsabout special programs, house tours and exhibitions. The current show at the time of thisprinting is entitled: “Blooming Miracles––The Shaping of the Gardens of Tudor Place”(through August 2000).This exhibit looks at the development and change of the gardens ofTudor Place from their conception in 1805 to the present day. Included is informationabout the plants and plant types used in the garden over the years.

Biodiversity Conservation in Historic Orchardspage 9

Susan Dolan is a historical landscape architect with the National Park Service in Seattle.For more information about the Park Cultural Landscape Program’s historic fruit and nutorchards study––contact Susan by email at susan_dolan@nps.gov.

Preserving Heritage Landscapes in Massachusettspage 10

Massachusetts’ Department of Environmental Management just published a 3-year reporton the landscape preservation activities in the state. To receive a copy of the “HistoricLandscape Preservation Grant Program Annual Report”––which covers thehighlights of the program, its components, project lists, and special initiatives, such as theCemetery Preservation Initiative and the City and Town Commons Preservation 2000Initiative––contact the Office of Historic Resources, Massachusetts Department ofEnvironmental Management, 100 Cambridge Street, Boston, MA 02202.

Preserving The Recent Past International Conference and ExpositionOctober 11-13, 2000, Philadelphia, PA. Plan to attend this extensive conference aboutstrategies and state-of-the-art methods for preserving historic properties of the 20thcentury. Several sessions on the recent advancements made in preservinglandscapes––from post-war California gardens designed by Garrett Eckbo and ThomasChurch to modern southern landscapes. For the details call 202.343.6011 or visit theconference website at www2.cr.nps.gov/tps/recentpast2.htm.

Do you have a friend or colleague who would like to receive Vineyard?Send your name, address, phone, and e-mail to Historic Landscape Initiative, HeritagePreservation Services, National Park Service, 1849 C Street, NW, Suite 330,Washington, DC20240 or e-mail Vineyard@nps.gov.

THE LAST WORD www2.cr.nps.gov/hli/index.htm

PUBLICATIONS RELATED TO ARTICLES IN THIS ISSUE OF VINEYARD