Eleanor Weller Reade is a horticulturist, garden lecturer, interior designer, and co-author of the book
The core of the collection consists of thousands of 35mm slide images photographed or amassed by Eleanor Weller. The latter come from numerous sources including books, magazines and archival repositories. The images document thousands of private gardens and public spaces (including parks, historic sites, and sculpture gardens) throughout the United States. Duplicates of a significant number of images from the Eleanor Weller Collection can be found in The Garden Club of America Collection at the Archives of American Gardens. There is also a smaller grouping of photographs of gardens taken by Weller.
Complementing this collection of images are numerous vertical files with magazine and newspaper clippings and brochures, etc. relating to hundreds of public and private gardens in America. A significant number of the files relate to gardens profiled in the book co-authored by Weller,
Another portion of the collection documents the research and image compilation for The Golden Age of American Gardens manuscript. While similar in nature to the research materials relating to the GCA Slide Library, the portion of the collection encompassing the book's preparation represents a change in focus from collecting a representative sampling of 35mm slides for gardens throughout the U.S. to gathering specific high quality images intended for
Other noteworthy aspects of this collection are materials that deal with the origins and operations of the Smithsonian's Archives of American Gardens, including correspondence regarding one of its future collections, The Chimneys Collection. Also present are several slide scripts corresponding with the GCA's historic glass lantern slide collection, as well as materials in the GCA Slide Library (now The Garden Club of America Collection).
It should be noted that while the creator of this collection is Eleanor Weller, significant portions of the files relating to the GCA Slide Library and
Lastly, the collection includes contemporary color photographs of historic sites and gardens taken by Richard Marchand. Weller had previously worked with Marchand, the donor of the Richard Marchand Historical Postcard Collection at the Archives of American Gardens, to compile historic garden images for the GCA Slide Library.
Donated by Eleanor Weller Reade to the Archives of American Gardens in 2006, 2009, 2011 and 2012.
Access to original archival materials by appointment only. Researcher must submit request for appointment in writing. Certain items may be restricted and not available to researchers. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.
Archives of American Gardens encourages the use of its archival materials for non-commercial, educational and personal use under the fair use provision of U.S. copyright law. Use or copyright restrictions may exist. It is incumbent upon the researcher to ascertain copyright status and assume responsibility for usage. All requests for duplication and use must be submitted in writing and approved by Archives of American Gardens. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.
Smithsonian Institution, Archives of American Gardens, Eleanor Weller Reade collection.
Significant portions of the Eleanor Weller Collection were generated or amassed for this book which was co-written by Mac Griswold and Eleanor Weller.
Documentatation for this garden is also located at the New Haven Colony Historical Society (now the New Haven Museum) and in the Frederick F. Brewster "Edgerton" house collection in the Domestic Life Collection at the National Museum of American History.
3 35mm slides (photographs). Restricted.
29 35mm slides (1983 and 2005)
Records related to this site can be found at the Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site, Olmsted Job Number 03793, Castle Hill, Richard T. Crane.
Manchester -- Uplands
Images numbered 001, 005-009 photographed by Faulkner. 010 is a reproduction of a 1935 photograph gift of Frances McLeod Blue (CSLA).
The folder includes worksheets, garden plans, photocopies of illustrations by Mary Hoffman Borie, and photographs from personal archives.
The New England Colonial style cottage built in 1789 by Phineas Pease, one of the original barns, and the channeled Konkapot brook from the old saw mill next door comprise the setting for Mary's Garden. Mary Hoffman Borie was a professional illustrator of plants, gardens and houses and the principle designer of this garden. When she moved to the one-acre property in the 1960s there was a perimeter planting of hemlocks with a woodlands garden. Now there are four distinct areas containing 45 flower beds with color choices that harmonize with nearby trees and shrubs: the woodland garden, the stonewall garden, the kitchen garden and the quarter moon garden. The hemlock screen around the property has smaller trees, native and cultivated shrubs, groundcovers, ferns and flowers in the understory. Other trees include apple, locust, birch and copper beech trees, and there are 107 shrubs throughout the property. Wildflowers were foraged and added to the mix years ago; now perennials are favored over annual flowers. The style of Mary's garden has become less formal, with self-sown and native plants allowed into the carefully designed flower beds.
The woodland garden was designed by the previous owner in a crescent shape that has evolved into a horseshoe shape for more sun exposure. In it there are natives including Jack-in-the-pulpit, wild cranesbill geranium, May apple and ostrich ferns, anchored by azaleas, hollies and mountain laurels and a Japanese maple. In spring the blooming season begins with ephemeral bulbs and flowering shrubs while ferns emerge, followed by peonies and perennials flowers. Annual flowers are dug in to add color and structure to this garden. The stone wall garden, sited between the house and barn features silver and blue tones with contrasting orange and yellow flowers. The quarter moon garden is an island bed featuring light green sedum, the dark purple foliage of ajuga, heuchera and hellebores. The kitchen garden beside the house has tall, scented old-fashioned flowers including phlox, iris, digitalis, nicotiana, narcissus and allium in the spring, and two trellises for clematis followed by morning glories later in the season. Also, there is a rock garden tucked under a mature grape arbor and espaliered trees against the house.
The Massachusetts Forest Health Program has recorded one of the black locust trees in Mary's Garden as the largest in the state.
Persons associated with the garden include: Phineas Pease (former owner, 1789-1836); Captain T.H. Lincoln (former owner, c. 1850); Helen Beaman Lakin (former owner and sculptor, 1957-1967); Mary Lakin Hoffman Borie (former owner and garden designer, 1967-1994); Peter Borie (former owner, 1994-2002); Cynthia Parson (garden designer, 1995 - present).
The Lenox Garden Club facilitated the submission of this garden's documentation.
Mary's Garden related holdings consist of 2 folders (11 35mm slides (photographs); 25 digital images)
Garden Club of America collection, circa 1920-[on-going].
Eleanor Weller collection, circa 1981-1993.
[Mary's Garden] [slide (photograph)]: the garden under the grape arbor with rocks edging.
[Mary's Garden] [slide (photograph)]: the espaliers against the house, with the quarter moon garden and the historic black locust tree in view.
2 35mm slides (photographs). See AAG.GCA.
Steele-Stoddard-McDonough Garden
The folder includes worksheets, photocopies of articles, and other information.
Beginning work in 1949 the gardens on this five acre property were a collaboration between landscape architect Fletcher Steele (1855-1971) and owner Helen Stoddard, and most of Steele's design and plantings were maintained for the next 50 years. The site slopes down behind the house and has outcroppings of rock. Steele envisioned a descending cornucopia shape inspired by the illusion of the downward spiral he had observed in Titian's painting "Bacchus and Ariadne", and had the shape he wanted carved into the earth by bulldozers. Descending levels of lawn, flower beds, and a pond were bordered by a ribbon of bluestone planted with tufts of blue fescue. Dry stone walls planted with maiden hair ferns were built from a porous fossilized rock dug out of a dried-up lake bed in Castalia, Ohio. Two sets of steps, one from the bluestone terrace behind the house and another below a bank of roses were covered with moss. White birches were planted to draw the eye to perennial borders, and spires of arborvitae were another focal point. The Art Deco style of the garden brought together the exotic and native by blending into surrounding woodlands that had plantings of juniper, mountain laurel, azaleas, dogwood, hemlock, birch, and elm.
The current owners resolved to preserve Steele's innovative design and vision as much as possible while changing some deteriorating hardscape and plants. The dry Castalia stone wall and moss-covered steps were no longer safe and had to be replaced when the house was renovated. Bluestone was used to rebuild the terrace behind the house and for steps set on fieldstone risers, and a new low wall was built from cinder blocks with stone facing. A walkway of fieldstone set in the lawn recalled an original path. The blue fescue grass was dying off, possibly due to soggy feet, and is being replaced by Japanese hakone grass which is mostly yellow. The arborvitae had grown too tall and were out of scale, many were knocked over by a storm, and some are being replanted. However many of the perennials in the borders and beds, the white birches and the rose and azalea banks are still growing.
Persons associated with the garden include: Robert and Helen Stoddard (former owners, 1941-1999); Fletcher Steele (1885-1971) (landscape architect, 1946-1949); Matt Mattus (gardener, 1975-1980); Isabel Wheat (horticulturist, 1999- ); Robert Karski (documentation, 2016).
The Worcester Garden Club facilitated the submission of this garden's documentation.
Steele-Stoddard-McDonough Garden related holdings consist of 7 folders (119 35mm slides; 4 transparencies; 9 digital images)
Garden Club of America Collection, ca. 1920-[ongoing].
Rudy J. Favretti collection, circa 1950-2010.
Ken Druse garden photography collection, 1978-2005.
Corliss Knapp Engle slide collection, 1969-2001.
[Steele-Stoddard-McDonough Garden] [slide]: Fletcher Steele's bluestone ribbon with blue fescue was used to edge the lawns while gray-leafed plants edged the other side of the flower bed.
[Steele-Stoddard-McDonough Garden] [slide]: a wide moss-covered stone stairway with a statue of a boy playing a pipe on the stone wall.
Formerly The Moorings, then the Detroit Institute of Arts.
It is likely that Julian Abele (1881-1950), one of the first prominent African American architects of the early twentieth century, should be credited for his design work on this project. Abele started working for Horace Trumbauer's all-white firm around 1902 after graduating from the University of Pennsylvania School of Architecture. Abele was sent by Trumbauer to study in Paris at one of the most prestigious art schools, the École, until 1906. He returned to work as the assistant to the firm's chief designer but was quickly promoted to chief designer in 1909. Between 1909 and Trumbauer's death in 1938, Abele worked on dozens, if not hundreds, of projects for the firm, predominately uncredited. Though it was custom at the time to attribute architectural designs to the head of the firm instead of the individual designers, it is notable that an early pioneering African American architect likely contributed to this project.
The folder includes worksheets, photocopies of articles, maps and other information.
Located on the site of a Revolutionary War landmark twenty miles west of New York City, Beacon Hill's nine acres of landscaped gardens and woodlands surround a 27-room Tudor mansion, built in 1910 by Carroll P. Bassett and Margaret K. Bassett. Mrs. Bassett also founded the Summit Garden Club in April, 1916. Stone masonry walls surround the estate, filled with stately oaks, beech and elms with smaller ash, linden, birch and pines, together with innumerable evergreens and shrubs, effectively screen the residence while the profuse plants of shrubs and flowers provide a colorful background year-round. Rumor has it that Mrs. Bassett had planted at least one each of every tree native to New Jersey.
Persons associated with the garden include Mr. Carroll Phillips and Mrs. Margaret Kinney Bassett (former owners, 1910-1955); Ruth Hutchinson (Landscape Architect); and Takeo Shiota (Landscape Architect).
The Summit Garden Club donated lantern slides in 2015.
Beacon Hill (NJ) related holdings consist of 3 folders (9 35 mm slides (photographs); 11 lantern slides)
Garden Club of America Collection, ca. 1920-[ongoing].
The folder includes worksheets and other information.
In the 1920s Mr. and Mrs. Clement K. Corbin owned the home in which the garden features a curvy path to the house with irises on either side. The house eventually doubled in size with the driveway following through the archway in the center. In a later period Summit Garden Club member, Marty Van Allen, owned the house through 1995.
Persons associated with the garden include Mr. and Mrs. Clement K. Corbin (former owners); Marty Van Allen (former owner, -1995).
The Summit Garden Club donated lantern slides in 2015.
Corbin Garden related holdings consist of 3 folders (4 lantern slides)
Garden Club of America Collection, ca. 1920-[ongoing].
The folder includes worksheets, maps and other information.
The house and garden were owned by Mr. and Mrs. Waldron M. Ward. Mrs. Ward was also a member of and joined the Summit Garden Club in 1932. The garden is circular and is centered by a birdbath. White arbor surrounds the garden along with benches and other garden furniture, walkways, tulips and other flower beds, all leading up to the woods beyond. The garden designers, Wodell & Cottrell were sisters. The house and garden were owned until recently by Mr. and Mrs. James Lawrence. Mrs. Lawrence (Diane) is a member of the Summit Garden Club.
Persons associated with the garden include Mr. and Mrs. Waldron M. Ward (former owners, 1929-1972); Mr. and Mrs. James Lawrence (1972-1990s?); Wodell & Cottrell (garden designers).
The Summit Garden Club donated lantern slides in 2015.
Ward Garden related holdings consist of 4 folders (4 lantern slides)
Garden Club of America Collection, ca. 1920-[ongoing].
Lois W. Poinier slide collection, circa 1920-1999.
The folder includes worksheets, maps and other information.
Owned by Mr. and Mrs. John R. Todd, the house was designed by Benjamin V. White. Mrs. Todd was also a founding member of the Summit Garden Club in 1916. The house was later converted to Temple Sinai with a large auditorium addition in the rear. Noted for its boxwood, the garden no longer exists. Mr. Todd was an engineer for Rockefeller Center. Governor Christine Todd Whitman is a granddaughter.
Persons associated with the garden include Mr. and Mrs. John R. Todd (former owners, 1929-1972); Benjamin V. White (architect).
The Summit Garden Club donated lantern slides in 2015.
Todd Garden related holdings consist of 3 folders (10 lantern slides)
Garden Club of America Collection, ca. 1920-[ongoing].
The folder includes worksheets.
The property is formerly owned by Col. and Mrs. Allan B. Wallace. Also Mrs. Wallace joined the Summit Garden Club in 1918. The significantly larger lot has been subdivided, with the carriage house now a residence on Sherman Avenue, just behind the property. A house has also been built in the front and to the right of the original house, facing Woodland Avenue.
Persons associated with the garden include Mr. and Mrs. Allan B. Wallace (former owners, ca. 1910s-).
The Summit Garden Club donated lantern slides in 2015.
Greenock related holdings consist of 3 folders (2 lantern slides)
Garden Club of America Collection, ca. 1920-[ongoing].
The folder includes worksheets, photocopies of articles, maps and other information.
Designed by its owners, Mr. and Mrs. Robert Cade Wilson, the property was well planted with interesting trees and shrubs. Mrs. Wilson was a Southerner and there was definitely a Southern feeling to the garden, according to her granddaughter. On a small piece of property adjoining the estate stood an old house, long outdating any building in the vicinity. According to an excerpt from House Beautiful, to save the house from destruction, Mr. Wilson purchased it and transformed it into a garden house of unlimited charm. A Franklin stove warms the interior in winter, and a little grating above carries heat to the upper chamber. The house stands at the end of a woodland walk in a setting of fine old trees and an informal planting.
Persons associated with the garden include Mr. and Mrs. Robert Cade Wilson (former owners and landscape designers, 1903-1957).
The Summit Garden Club donated lantern slides in 2015.
Dalkeith related holdings consist of 3 folders (11 lantern slides)
Garden Club of America Collection, ca. 1920-[ongoing].
The folder includes worksheets and other information.
This property is formerly owned by Mr. and Mrs. Carl G. Smedberg. Mrs. Smedberg became a member of the Summit Garden Club in 1922. Additional photographs of the garden are in the Summit Garden Club's collection. However, the large lot has been divided and the gardens as shown in the Club's album no longer exist.
Persons associated with the garden include Mr. Carl G. and Mrs. Bessie C. Smedberg (former owners, 1914-1949?).
The Summit Garden Club donated lantern slides in 2015.
Smedberg Garden related holdings consist of 3 folders (7 lantern slides)
Garden Club of America Collection, ca. 1920-[ongoing].
The folder includes worksheets and other information.
At the northwest corner of Prospect and High Streets, this Tudor Revival house was on a significantly larger piece of property. Mrs. Moore, who joined the Summit Garden Club in 1925, was generous in sharing her garden on garden tours. The house burned down in the 1950's (?) and was replaced by a large Colonial Revival . Some of the massive rhododendrons and mature trees may have been remnants of the earlier landscape. A swimming pool is currently located behind the house.
Persons associated with the garden include Mr. Livingston P. and Mrs. Helen Moore.
The Summit Garden Club donated lantern slides in 2015.
Moore Garden (NJ) related holdings consist of 3 folders (6 lantern slides)
Garden Club of America Collection, ca. 1920-[ongoing].
The folder includes worksheets, maps and other information.
This property, whose garden is no longer in existence, was once owned by Mr and Mrs. James W. Cromwell. It is located on Beekman Road. Mrs. Cromwell was also a member of the Summit Garden Club and made her garden available for others to enjoy, according to the Visiting Gardens List from 1921 and 1925. The garden boasts of roses, hardy perennials and annuals, with fine flowering shrubs. The best blooms, it was noted, were during the summer months of June, July and August.
Persons associated with the garden include Mr. and Mrs. James W. Cromwell (former owners, circa 1921); Miss Anne Cromwell (former owner, circa 1925).
The Summit Garden Club donated lantern slides in 2015.
Llynnwyllann related holdings consist of 3 folders (5 lantern slides)
Garden Club of America collection, ca. 1920-[ongoing].
[Llynnwyllann] [lantern slide]: a paved driveway is flanked by flowering shrubs, trees, and garden lighting.
This garden is no longer extant.
Mount reads: "Edward Van Altena."
Historic plate caption: "Mrs. Cromwell."
The Clearing, formerly known as.
The folder includes worksheets, maps and other information.
During the Revolutionary era, the area was part of a farm. An estate, once known as The Clearing, was created on the site in 1889 by John Hornor Wisner. He built the present Colonial revival residence, which now serves as the administrative and educational center for the Arboretum. Mr. Wisner plotted the original gardens and Mrs. Wisner planted the first daffodils. Each April the daffodil display, enlarged from earlier times, is a major Arboretum attraction. In 1916, the new owners, Mr. and Mrs. Richard Reeves, hired a New York landscape architect to develop an overall design for the property. Mrs. Reeves was also a member of the Summit Garden Club. The Reeves family increased the daffodil plantings and, around 1925, started the rose garden. The Charles L. Reed family became the last private owners in the 1960s, adding the herb garden and creating the woodland trails.
The property became a public institution, the Reeves-Reed Arboretum, in 1974, when Summit citizens acted to protect the 12.5 acres of woodlands, glacial contours and dells, rolling lawns, and inspired gardens from encroaching development.
Persons associated with the garden include John and Isabelle Wisner (former owners, 1888-1918); Richard E. Reeves and Susie Graham Reeves (former owners, 1918-1968); Charles L. Reeves, Jr. and Ann Reeves Reed (former owners, 1968-1974); Calvert Vaux (landscape architect); Ellen Shipman (landscape architect); Carl F. Pilat (landscape architect, 1925); Babb, Cook & Willard (New York City, architect); Wodell & Cottrell (garden designers).
The Summit Garden Club donated lantern slides in 2015.
Reeves-Reed Arboretum related holdings consist of 5 folders (9 lantern slides, 2 4x5 negatives, 1 8x10 photographic prints, 2 35 mm slides (duplicates))
Garden Club of America collection, ca. 1920-[ongoing].
Lois W. Poinier slide collection, circa 1920-1999.
Maida Babson Adams American Garden collection, circa 1957-1994.
It is likely that Julian Abele (1881-1950), one of the first prominent African American architects of the early twentieth century, should be credited for his design work on this project. Abele started working for Horace Trumbauer's all-white firm around 1902 after graduating from the University of Pennsylvania School of Architecture. Abele was sent by Trumbauer to study in Paris at one of the most prestigious art schools, the École, until 1906. He returned to work as the assistant to the firm's chief designer but was quickly promoted to chief designer in 1909. Between 1909 and Trumbauer's death in 1938, Abele worked on dozens, if not hundreds, of projects for the firm, predominately uncredited. Though it was custom at the time to attribute architectural designs to the head of the firm instead of the individual designers, it is notable that an early pioneering African American architect likely contributed to this project.
The Admiralty includes 4 35mm slides. 001 is a copy from the Architectural League of New York Year Book (1929), 002-004 are images from a Garden Club of America garden tour (1963).
American Gardens Collection and The Garden Club of America Collection.
Esopus (West Park) -- Omega
Lake Success -- Bonnie Blink
It is likely that Julian Abele (1881-1950), one of the first prominent African American architects of the early twentieth century, should be credited for his design work on this project. Abele started working for Horace Trumbauer's all-white firm around 1902 after graduating from the University of Pennsylvania School of Architecture. Abele was sent by Trumbauer to study in Paris at one of the most prestigious art schools, the École, until 1906. He returned to work as the assistant to the firm's chief designer but was quickly promoted to chief designer in 1909. Between 1909 and Trumbauer's death in 1938, Abele worked on dozens, if not hundreds, of projects for the firm, predominately uncredited. Though it was custom at the time to attribute architectural designs to the head of the firm instead of the individual designers, it is notable that an early pioneering African American architect likely contributed to this project.
The folder includes worksheets and photocopies of book and journal article excerpts about the garden.
Designed as a summer home by the firm of Delano & Aldrich, Avalon is located in a hilly, wooded area in Mt. Kisco, New York. Its principal landscape architects were Wadley & Smythe, followed by Ellen Shipman, who worked on the property in the 1920s. With its Italianate garden, Avalon features a vista extending from a swimming pool to a small temple. Another axis intersecting with the loggia leads through a wooded hill to a vista of another small temple. Below the residence a pergola leads to a walled elliptical informal flower garden featuring a small pool with two frog-shaped fountain heads. An irregularly shaped perennial bed surrounds this water feature.
Persons and firms associated with the garden include: Robert S. Brewster (former owner, 1912-?); Ellen Shipman (landscape architect, 1920s); Delano & Aldrich (architects, 1912); and Wadley & Smythe (landscape architects, 1912).
Avalon related holdings consist of 1 folder (53 35mm. slides)
Garden Club of America Collection, ca. 1920-[ongoing].
The Smith Museum, Abigail Adams includes 7 35mm slides. 2 35mm slides are reproductions of lantern slides (circa 1920s-30s) in the collections of The City Gardens Club of New York City and 5 35mm slides are reproductions of photographs (May 1975) taken by Molly Adams.
[Unidentified Rooftop Garden] [slide (photograph) of a lantern slide]: a brick-paved rooftop garden.
Located at 100 Morningside Drive.
[Unidentified Rooftop Garden] [slide (photograph) of a lantern slide]: a rooftop garden latticework and potted plants.
Located at either 520 W. 122nd Street or 419 E. 119th Street.
[Unidentified Rooftop Garden] [slide (photograph) of a lantern slide]: a fenced rooftop garden with a moon window.
Located on Manhattan's Upper East Side. Looking across Central Park. Buildings in the back are The San Remo.
[Unidentified Rooftop Garden] [slide (photograph) of a lantern slide]: a rooftop garden overlooking the East River.
Located at 433 E. 57th Street.
[Rubinstein Garden] [slide (photograph) of a lantern slide]: garden beds, a folly, and a cast iron bench.
[Rubinstein Garden] [slide (photograph) of a lantern slide]: undulating garden beds with brick edging.
20 35mm slides (1992). Images 001, 008 and 019 are restricted.
The gardens for this 23 acre property were reconceived by Nelson Byrd Woltz into zones for the body, mind and spirit, with each section divided longitudinally. The park section contains many native trees; the garden section includes the entrance court, seven distinct rooms and a formal vegetable garden with a greenhouse; the forest has a pine and fern grove; water encompasses the swimming pool and a large pond with a pagoda on an island; the field has the tennis court, cutting garden and a golf green with sand traps. Repeated features in the formal gardens include allées, sheared hedges, brick and bluestone hardscapes, oversize urns and pots planted with either seasonal flowers or vines, and flowering trees, shrubs, annuals and perennials with white blooms predominating. There are brick pillars at the entrance gate that are repeated at the end of the driveway. A field of daffodils and redbuds has a path mowed through for strolling in the spring. Layers of shrubs that surround the rectangular lawns at the arrival court include white hydrangea, lilac, boxwood, and viburnum, with Russian sage and pachysandra as the lower story and three large magnolias above. Behind the house a blue stone path and steps lead to a bluestone terrace garden with arborvitae in the corners, white rhododendron, white Japanese anemone, and shaped boxwood all surrounding a circle of grass. A rectangular white garden with benches at either end contains tree peony, white bleeding heart, hydrangea, Japanese anemone and ferns. The secret garden enclosed by a brick wall has a gravel center court with a large urn that is replanted each season, a cement bench under a kousa dogwood, white tulips and bleeding heart, rhododendron and hydrangea. Outside the wall there is a bed planted with two rows of Japanese stewartia.
A formal lawn has a reflecting pool in the center, allées of pollarded sycamore on two sides, and shaped boxwood at the far end. Another allée of yoshino cherry and large planted pots along the long walk leads to a walled formal vegetable and flower garden with a greenhouse. Teak tuteurs are planted peas in spring followed by tomatoes. Apple and pear trees are espaliered on serpentine brick walls. Teak lattice gates attached to one wall can swing out to support climbing roses or other vines. Nearby a pine and fern grove lost many trees during Hurricane Sandy but has an understory planted with dogwood, rhododendron, hay scented fern, Virginia bluebells, beech, redbud and mayapple. Grass steps with stone risers lead to the swimming pool with low stone walls. A hot tub set in stone is flanked by beds of perennials. Next to the pool there is a playing field with blue painted benches that look towards the fish-stocked pond. Japanese style bridges lead to two islands in the pond, one of which has the Chinese style pagoda and a weeping cherry. The other island is planted with river birch. Along the boundary of the property there is an allée of silver maple that leads to a circle of clipped hornbeam and the tennis court. There is a cutting garden next to a shed, and beyond that lies the golf green complete with sand traps.
Persons associated with the property include: Charles Addison Blackwell, Esq. (former owner, 1929-1937); Frederick Chauncey Tanner (former owner, 1937-c.1950); Joseph A. Thomas (former owner, c. 1950-1977); estate of joseph A. Tanner (former owner, 1977-2002); Polhemus & Coffin (architects, c. 1926); Arthur F. Brinkerhoff (1880-1959) (landscape architect, 1929); Nicholas Molitor (gardener, 1946-2004); Cicognani Kella (architects, 2002); Innocenti & Webel (landscape architects, 2004-2005); Nelson Byrd Woltz (landscape architects, 2005- ); Sam Brush, Foxgloves Horticultural Services (landscape management (2015- ).
Normandie, formerly known as.
This property is featured in "Long Island Country Houses and their Architects, 1860-1940" edited by Robert B. MacKay, Anthony Baker and Carol A. Traynor, published by the Society for the Preservation of Long Island Antiquities and W.W. Norton Company, 1997; "Long Island's Prominent North Shore Families: Their Estates and Their Country Homes, Vol. 1" by Raymond E. and Judith A. Spinzia, published by VirtualBookworm.com, 2006; House and Garden magazine, June 1929; "Nelson Byrd Woltz: Garden, Park, Community, Farm" by Elizabeth Meyer, Thomas Woltz and Warren Byrd published by Princeton Architectural Press, 2013.
Rhinebeck -- Ferncliff
Saratoga Springs -- Yaddo
Sleepy Hollow -- Kykuit
[Runnymede]: inside one of the greenhouses.
It is likely that Julian Abele (1881-1950), one of the first prominent African American architects of the early twentieth century, should be credited for his design work on this project. Abele started working for Horace Trumbauer's all-white firm around 1902 after graduating from the University of Pennsylvania School of Architecture. Abele was sent by Trumbauer to study in Paris at one of the most prestigious art schools, the École, until 1906. He returned to work as the assistant to the firm's chief designer but was quickly promoted to chief designer in 1909. Between 1909 and Trumbauer's death in 1938, Abele worked on dozens, if not hundreds, of projects for the firm, predominately uncredited. Though it was custom at the time to attribute architectural designs to the head of the firm instead of the individual designers, it is notable that an early pioneering African American architect likely contributed to this project.
Middletown -- Gray Craig
It is likely that Julian Abele (1881-1950), one of the first prominent African American architects of the early twentieth century, should be credited for his design work on this project. Abele started working for Horace Trumbauer's all-white firm around 1902 after graduating from the University of Pennsylvania School of Architecture. Abele was sent by Trumbauer to study in Paris at one of the most prestigious art schools, the École, until 1906. He returned to work as the assistant to the firm's chief designer but was quickly promoted to chief designer in 1909. Between 1909 and Trumbauer's death in 1938, Abele worked on dozens, if not hundreds, of projects for the firm, predominately uncredited. Though it was custom at the time to attribute architectural designs to the head of the firm instead of the individual designers, it is notable that an early pioneering African American architect likely contributed to this project.
It is likely that Julian Abele (1881-1950), one of the first prominent African American architects of the early twentieth century, should be credited for his design work on this project. Abele started working for Horace Trumbauer's all-white firm around 1902 after graduating from the University of Pennsylvania School of Architecture. Abele was sent by Trumbauer to study in Paris at one of the most prestigious art schools, the École, until 1906. He returned to work as the assistant to the firm's chief designer but was quickly promoted to chief designer in 1909. Between 1909 and Trumbauer's death in 1938, Abele worked on dozens, if not hundreds, of projects for the firm, predominately uncredited. Though it was custom at the time to attribute architectural designs to the head of the firm instead of the individual designers, it is notable that an early pioneering African American architect likely contributed to this project.
15 5 X 7 in. photographic prints (2002).
The folder includes worksheets and photocopies of original plants lists and orders.
Croftmere's sunken garden has been restored to the Arts & Crafts style designed in 1915 by landscape architect Sibley C. Smith. Adjacent to the 1906 wood shingle-style house the 44 by 74 feet garden room is part of an eight acre property that was part of a larger tract divided in the early 1900s among family members. The sunken garden is entered by descending three rough cut granite steps and surrounded on three sides by crisscross cedar fencing set on stone walls and supported by rough stone columns. At the far end of the garden room steps lead to a stone pergola draped with roses and wisteria. Small millstones are used for tables and a large one is sited on the grass terrace between the house and garden. A rectangular stone-lined lily pond with its original fountain is in the center of the garden room and deep beds of perennial flowers have been planted between the fences and the lawn as part of the restoration. Trimmed boxwood and viburnum, clematis and roses grow on the terrace and on an arbor alongside the house.
Persons associated with the garden include members of the Cocroft family since 1906; Walter G. Sheldon (1855-1931) (architect, 1906); Sibley C. Smith, ASLA (landscape architect, 1915); Carder Whaley (garden installation, 1916); Linda Lapin (restoration garden designer, 2000); Brenda McCloskey (gardener, 2005- ); Glen McCluster (fence restoration, 2015).
The South County Garden Club facilitated the 2016 submission of this garden's documentation; the 2003 slides were donated by Eleanor Weller Reade in 2011.
Croftmere Garden related holdings consist of 2 folders (8 35mm slides; 35 digital images; 4 reference prints)
Garden Club of America Collection, circa 1920-[ongoing].
Warwick (Warwick Neck) -- Indian Oaks
2 35mm slides (photographs). These are duplicates from The Garden Club of America Collection.
The folder includes worksheets.
Beds of tulips are spread throughout this one acre property, with primarily yellow, red and white varieties planted in curving beds bordered by boxwood, in island beds within brick borders, and in containers that are perched on a brick wall. Three varieties of white azaleas, two rose varieties, quince flowering japonica, camellia japonica, hicks yew and aucuba shrubs are grown here as well. The red brick house was built in 1955 and the first gardens were planted then. Mature trees include magnolia, oak, holly, hackberry and elm, with Japanese maples and dogwood adding color. Statuary and figural planters depict stags, an American eagle, St Francis with three birds, and an Oriental dancer. Additional elements in the garden rooms include perennial and annual flowers, ferns, vines, large urns, a shell birdbath and birdhouses.
Persons associated with the garden include Noel David Pullam (garden designer, 1975); Casey Brownlow (garden designer, 1992); Wilhite Landscaping (landscaping, 1980); James Killabrew (architect).
The Gertrude Windsor Garden Club facilitated the 2016 submission of this garden's documentation; the 1992 slides were donated by Eleanor Weller Reade in 2011.
Royal Tulip Gardens related holdings consist of 3 folders (13 35mm slides; 5 digital images)
Garden Club of America Collection, circa 1920-[ongoing].
[Royal Tulip Gardens] [slide (photograph)]: the circular brick raised bed, steps and seating at the back of the garden.
The folder includes worksheets, site plans, and photocopies of images.
Royal Oaks represents one of the premier gardens of Tyler, Texas, dating to the mid-1930s - the unique era of the oil-drilling boom in eastern Texas. The gardens are located in Tyler's historic azalea district, adding to their heritage and community preservation status. From azaleas to dogwoods to a historic Black Gum, the elements are a community treasure.
Major plantings include Live Oaks, Magnolias, Dogwoods, Japanese Bloodgood Maple and Crepe Myrtles. Flowering plants include Camellias, Azaleas, Hydrangeas, Wisteria and Forsythia. St. Augustine grass, Mondo grass, native Yupons and other greenery complete the tableau.
Special features include the herb garden with Bay Tree topiary and sculptures of a little boy playing the flute, a metal heron and distinctive bird bath. The badminton courts were added in 1939, thus generating a Badminton Club that exists to this day. The original gazebo was hand-carried by eight men, relocating it when the swimming pool addition was under way. The gazebo is now draped and serves as a bathhouse in summer. The original barn, which housed Shetland ponies for many years, still stands. Visiting dignitaries have included J. Edgar Hoover, Dwight Eisenhower and Ronald Reagan.
Persons associated with the garden include Mr. and Mrs. B. G. Byars (former owners, mid-1930s-1979); Noel Pullam (landscape architect, 1970s); Lambert's (landscape designer, 1930s); Arabella Gardens (landscape features, 1990s- ); Breedlove Nursery (landscape features, 1950s).
The Gertrude Windsor Garden Club facilitated the 2016 submission of this garden's documentation. The 1992 photographs were donated by Eleanor Weller Reade in 2011.
Royal Oaks related holdings consist of 2 folders (12 35mm slides (photographs); 5 digital images)
Garden Club of America collection, ca. 1920-[ongoing].
[Royal Oaks] [slide (photograph)]: the metal filigree bathhouse was once a gazebo.
The folder includes worksheets, site plans, and photocopies of images.
This property's full gardens have graced Tyler, Texas since 1950. With the private home and gardens situated on Tyler's renowned Azalea and Spring Flower Trail, the gardens provide a city showcase - especially due to the abundance of brilliant daffodils. The azaleas, other spring blooms and towering trees draw visitors to the landscape throughout springtime. Seasonal plantings are enjoyed during the summer, fall and winter months.
Major tree plantings include Shumard Red Oaks, Water Oaks, Green Maples, Crepe Myrtles (Natchez) and Dogwoods. Wintergreen Boxwoods and American Holly provide hedge borders, while a variety of vines - including Fig Ivy, English Ivy and Trumpet Vine - supply other planting dimensions.
The backyard pool is surrounded by topiaries accented by wrought iron furniture. Sculptures include a stone St. Francis and a royal metal frog with a crown. Other features include fern baskets, arbors and brick walkways.
Persons associated with the garden include Naud Burnett (landscape architect, 1955); Noel Pullam (landscape architect, 1975); Selena Short (landscape designer, 2000s- ); Johnny & John Carter (masonry, 2016).
The Gertrude Windsor Garden Club facilitated the 2016 submission of this garden's documentation. The 1992 photographs were donated by Eleanor Weller Reade in 2011.
B. J.'s Gardens related holdings consist of 2 folders (7 35mm slides (photographs); 7 digital images)
Garden Club of America collection, ca. 1920-[ongoing].
See also the Frances Benjamin Johnston Collection at the Library of Congress.
3 35mm reproduction slides (photographs) and 1 folder.
Garden published in "Historic Gardens of Virginia," by James River edited by Edith Tunis Sale (1930).
3 35mm slides (photographs). 001 is a copy from Richard Marchand Historical Postcard Collection, 002 is a copy from p.48 of "American Country Houses of Today" (1915) and 003 is a copy of Plate 238 from a 1924 publication (possibly "Beautiful Gardens in America" by Louise Shelton) publication.