Donated by the Jane Silverstein Ries Foundation
Born in Denver, Colorado, Julia Jane Silverstein Ries (1909-2005) graduated from the Lowthorpe School of Landscape Architecture in 1932. Within two years, she opened her own landscape architecture office in Denver. During her career nearly seventy year career, Ries’ design focus was on gardens, both modest and large-scale. Her signature style was immediately recognizable as it differed from the established uniformity of the city’s residential pattern of front lawn, foundation plantings, back lawn, and border garden.

Though urban gardens were the focus of her practice, Ries’ commissions included federal housing projects, large estates, churches, courthouse grounds, and mortuary parking lots. Throughout her career, she was a pioneer of land use values, and as a landscape architect, designed more than 1,500 landscapes in the Colorado region. She was also an active advisor to the Denver Park People, the Denver Botanic Gardens, the Nature Conservancy, and the Denver Urban Forest.

Ries was the first woman in Denver to pursue a career in landscape architecture and her office often served as headquarters for an array of other professional, civic, and social endeavors. In 1965, Ries was elected a Fellow of the American Society of Landscape Architects. She was the first president of the Rocky Mountain Chapter of the ASLA, now the Colorado Chapter. She was awarded the ASLA Medal in 2005.

More About the Pieces
This unique sterling silver lapel vase emulates the original “personal trademark” vase worn daily by Jane Silverstein Ries. The copyrighted vase was produced by the Jane Silverstein Ries Foundation in order to celebrate her work and to further her effort as a mentor and supporter of young landscape architects. The small vase, designed by Axil Bishop, is molded to hold water and has an easy clasp pin on the back.

The photographs were taken by the husband of one of Jane Silverstein Ries’ employees, Seymour Wheelock. An amateur photographer, Seymour took many photographs of Ries, her staff, and her projects. The photographs were reprinted from the originals which are now in the Jane Silverstein Ries Collection at the Western History and Genealogy Department of the Denver Public Library.