S.R. DeBoer is generally acknowledged to be the most influential and far reaching 20th Century horticulturist not only in the Denver area, but throughout the Rocky Mountain Region. His reputation is based not just on the vast quantity of parks, institutional landscapes and private homes that his firm designed, but on the sensitivity to plant selection and siting, and especially his creativity in developing new tree and shrub crops for these sites. It could said, quite fairly, that he invented the regional plant palette. The archives for much of his personal and professional effects were deemed significant enough that they are preserved in perpetuity at the Denver Public Library.

His elegant home across from Harvard Park became a hub for many of his activities. Symbolically, the cover of his autobiography, published as an extra large issue of Denver Botanic Gardens' quarterly journal, shows his front door (still extant) opening up to a vista of his front yard and the view beyond. DeBoer took great care in planting the area to special trees and shrubs in his characteristically naturalistic style. There is a unique specimen of Mongolian Oak (Quercus mongolica) directly in front of his front door, certainly the only specimen of this species of oak growing anywhere without a thousand or more miles radius of the Denver area. Harvard Park neighborhood was DeBoer's laboratory where he experimented with a wide range of plants that he would subsequently utilize throughout the city if they fulfilled his expectations.

DeBoer's legacy is preserved not only in the fabric of the cities he platted and the thousands of acres of gardens and boulevards that he designed and planted, but in numerous writings-including hundreds of articles in many publications-as well as several beautifully written books. One persistent theme throughout his writing was the need for a municipal botanic garden, which he attempted to create first at the Sunken Gardens (now part of West High School) and later at City Park around the Museum of Nature and Science: remnants of both these attempts are still visible. He was instrumental in the creation of Denver Botanic Gardens at its present site, and indeed he designed and built the first garden at our current headquarters: the Gates Garden. A beautifully executed bust of S.R. DeBoer holds pride of place in the main foyer of our Administrative Waring House, gazing serenely at his handiwork.

Today, the DeBoer house and the surrounding landscape are threatened by demolition. The property owner is considering selling the site for redevelopment which would result in removal of much of the historic landscape. Historic Denver is working with the surrounding neighborhood to explore the potential of historic district designation. If the designation application is successful it would provide design review and demolition protection to the home and certain elements of the landscape.

Historic Denver is seeking additional support for this designation as it is likely to be opposed by the owner.

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More information on the proposed S R DeBoer Historic District can be found at www.deboeroasis.com, which will also serve your readers well, as providing a complete history of DeBoer and related details on the landscape he created for himself (his office and home for more than 50 years).

For additional information contact Steve Turner at sturner@historicdenver.org

 

 

 


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