Pioneers Queries (Continued)

Subject
John H. Small III

I am preparing a National Register nomination for the The Lyons Estate known as Glenview Farm and located in Rockville, Maryland. The Neoclassical mansion was designed by the Washington DC firm of Porter and Lockie and constructed in 1926. The landscape architect associated with the formal terraced parterre gardens is John H. Small III, also from Washington DC. Although the original house plans have been retained, only a "Plan of Drainage & Utilities ' Glenview Farm'" remain of the landscape plans. The grounds are a significant aspect of the property and have strong association with the social status and lifestyle afforded by this large "summer house". I would appreciate any information on Mr. John H. Small or his firm. The landscape plan for the property reportedly dates from 1929.

Please contact:

Jeffrey Winstel, AICP
Historic Preservation Planner
Community Planning and Development Services City of Rockville
Tel 240.314.8232
jwinstel@rockvillemd.gov

 

 

Subject
Larry Enersen FASLA, FAIA ( 1909-1983)

I am currently researching the work of Larry Enersen for my thesis at Kansas State University. Enersen helped form the current firm of Clark/Enersen Partners which is headquartered in Lincoln, Nebraska and has another office in Kansas City, Missouri. He was born in Lamberton, Minnesota and received his early education there, where his father was a judge. He received his Bachelors degree from Carleton College and went on to receive his masters degree in Landscape Architecture from Harvard University in 1937. He won the Charles Eliot Traveling fellowship while at Harvard. The year of his graduation would put him at the school around the same time as Garret Eckbo, Dan Kiley and James Rose. Before leaving for Europe he worked for six months in the employ of the Mount Vernon Ladies Association doing detailed drawings for the Mount Vernon Site. While attending Harvard he worked at the office of Frederick Law Olmsted Jr. Upon graduation he taught at the Boston Architectural Center until 1940. From 1940-1942 he taught at the University of Michigan and from 1942-1943 he taught at Harvard University. He served in the military for 4 years and then from 1947-1952 he taught at North Carolina State University. Ken Clark persuaded Enersen to move to Lincoln and start a practice. Enersen practiced from 1952-1979. Many of his works are confined to the state of Nebraska. He is well known for his work on the Centennial Mall in Lincoln, Foundation Gardens in Lincoln, The Folsom Childrens Zoo in Lincoln, master plans for many state parks and universities located in the state of Nebraska to name a few, as well as the overall beautification of the city of Lincoln, Nebraska. Any information about Mr. Enersen would help me in my research on this rather important person in design history.

Please contact:

Cary Thomsen
Graduate Student, Kansas State University
cthomsen@ksu.edu

 

 

Subject
William Dilger (1857 -1924)

William Dilger (1857 -1924) was a landscaper and florist in Sandusky, Ohio in the 1880’s and 1890’s. He landscaped the pavilion of Cedar Point Amusement Park in 1890.

A February 21, 1963 “Sandusky Register” articles states that William Dilger laid out Grand Circus Park in Detroit in 1890, and was Superintendent of Parks in Detroit. He was also supposed to have been named to the position of Commissioner of Parks of Detroit under Mayor Philip Breitmeyer. He was involved in building the conservatory and greenhouse at Belle Isle, and is said to have been a consultant to many cities, including Washington D.C. An online search places  William Dilger as a Landscape Gardener and Horticultural Draughtsman for the Hugh McCurdy Park in Corunna, Michigan in 1900.

We are unsure of the exact years William Dilger worked in Michigan, and if he was officially in the positions that wer  reported, or if he was just employed by the Division of Parks in Detroit, Michigan.

If anyone has more information, please contact:

Reference Services
Sandusky Library
114 W. Adams Street
Sandusky, OH 44870
rsarea@sandusky.lib.oh.us

 

 

Subject
Henry Stuart Ortloff and Henry Bond Raymore

I'm researching the lives and careers of Ortloff and Raymore, an architect and landscape architect practicing in Huntington, NY from 1924 until Ortloff's death in 1970. They retired to Arlington, VT later in life and wrote many books separately and together on horticulture and landscape design topics, as well as articles for several domestic magazines, including House and Garden and Country Life in America. Their early period of practice would have overlapped with Grace Tabor's, who also practiced in Huntington, so any information on their acquaintance or collaboration would be very much appreciated. Any information on their work, contact persons acquainted with them, or photographs of projects, extant or destroyed, would also be appreciated. Please contact:

Steve Whitesell
elysium214@aol.com

Image: Garden of Mr and Mrs Mather K, Whitehead in Fairfield, CT
designed by Ortloff & Raymore, Landscape Architects

 

 

Subject
Arthur E. Davidson, landscape architect

I am seeking information about a Detroit landscape architect named Arthur E. Davidson. In 1928, Davidson succeeded Charles Wellford Leavitt, Jr. as the landscape architect for Meadow Brook Hall (1926-1929) in Rochester, Michigan. Meadow Brook Hall, a 110-room Tudor Revival mansion was designed by William Kapp (of Smith, Hinchman & Grylls) for Matilda Wilson and her second husband Alfred. Matilda Wilson was the widow of auto manufacturer John Dodge. For Meadow Brook Hall, Davidson designed elaborate gardens surrounding the house including an English walled garden and rock garden. At the time of this commission, Davidson's office was located in the McKerchey Building in Detroit. I believe he was English and he died c. 1952. I am interested in any information about his training, career, any other projects, and/or archives. Please contact:

 

Paula A. Mohr
Architectural Historian
Des Moines , Iowa
archhistorian@yahoo.com

 

Subject
Delano & Aldrich Landscape Design, Highlawn Farm/Estate, Lee, MA

I am a landscape architect working on a landscape master plan for an estate/farm in Lee, Massachusetts designed by the architectural firm Delano & Aldrich in 1908-1910. I understand that Delano & Aldrich did the site design themselves in many cases, but may not have had the horticultural expertise to select plant species, etc. Therefore I hope to attribute the landscape design specifically to someone in addition to Delano & Aldrich. I know the Olmsted firm had been contacted by the owner (William Sloane), but never engaged their services.

Kyle S. Zick, ASLA
Senior Associate
CAROL R. JOHNSON ASSOCIATES INC
115 Broad Street
Boston, MA 02110
t: 617-896-2639
f: 617-896-2340
kzick@crja.com

 

Subject
Beatrix Farrand + the Rockefeller Estate in NC

The Jaeger Company is searching for information that might link Beatrix Farrand with the Rockefeller family's country estate in Overhills, NC. Family lore has it that Farrand designed the informal landscaping around the main building complex, as well as laid out hunting and bridle trails. However, we have not found any proof of this in the estate archives. Any information would be appreciated.

Diana Miles
The Jaeger Company, 367 Prince Avenue, Suite 2
Athens, Georgia 30601 706.543.5459
diana@jaegerco.com

 

Subject
Margaret Webster + Louise Rowell (HABS)

I am an architectural history PhD student working on a research project for HABS (National Park Service) this summer trying to recover the names and work of women who served as architects or draftsman or otherwise for HABS projects from 1933-1941. I am especially interested in a Margaret Webster who is listed as a Landscape Architect around 1935-1937 in the Boston area. She graduated from Lowthorpe in 1931. Louise Rowell is another woman who did a lot of survey and drafting work for HABS. I am interested in any biographical information as well as information about other women who may have been involved in HABS in the Boston or other areas. Please contact:

Amy Gilley
agilley@vt.edu

 

Subject
Cary Milholland Parker

I am looking for information on the life and work of landscape architect Cary Milholland Parker who was active in the Washington, D.C., area in the mid-twentieth century. I am particularly interested in learning whether her papers survive. I have a 1940 reference to her as landscape architect for a large Georgetown garden, and about 1950 she designed the AIA garden at the Octagon House. In 1955 she exhibited some landscape designs at the Arts Club exhibit “The Arts Create New Living.” In 1960 she was secretary of the Potomac Chapter of the ASLA. The latest reference I have found to her is a garden she designed for Judge Harold Leventhal in 1972. I would welcome any suggestions on where I might look for information on her.

Andrea F. Schoenfeld
Historian
EHT Traceries, Inc.
1121 5th Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20001
Tel: 202-393-1199
Fax: 202-393-1056
aschoenfeld@traceries.com

 

 

Subject
Women Landscape Designers
from 1893 to 1942

Research is being conducted on professional women landscape designers from 1893 to 1942 as an alternative view on the history of the landscape design profession. Information is being sought on how women became landscape architects including with whom they mentored or trained and whether they attended any formal degree or certificate-granting programs. Questions pursued include how women ran their practices, issues such as where their office was situated (within their home or at a separate site), whom did they hire (men, women, program graduates, drafters, horticulturalists…), and for what types of projects were they commissioned (private estates, housing projects, parks, city plans, suburban homes, …) This inquiry into the project process also seeks details of how office work was distributed, such as the drafting, correspondence, plant lists, nursery orders, and meeting with clients. In addition, information is also being sought on women designers who may have focused on the use of native plants, established nurseries, or worked within other horticulturally defined parameters (such as low-maintenance gardens, collecting exotics, creating wild gardens, etc.). Knowledge of any archival materials related to the work of women practicing between 1893 and 1942 would also be greatly appreciated. A list of current resources and women designers can be shared upon request. Should you have any information or would like to discuss this work in detail, please contact:

Thaisa Way
tw23@cornell.edu.

 

 

Subject
Wayne E. Stiles, FASLA, 1884-1953

Wayne E. Stiles, FASLA, 1884-1953, is known primarily as a golf course architect, although he has many non golf projects to his credit, including the L.K.Liggett estate in Chestnut Hill, MA, and the Ross Estates Subdivision in Pittsburgh. He supervised CCC projects for the National Park Service (NPS) during the depression. He worked for the Canadian firm of Brett and Hall until 1915, when he opened his own landscape architecture firm in Boston. In 1924, he formed a partnership with John R. Van Kleek and the two are credited with numerous golf course designs from Maine to Florida. After 1928, he operated independently. Specifically, information is being sought to identify the CCC projects Stiles worked on for the NPS during the early 1930's as well as other non-golf projects prior to 1924. Please contact:

Kevin Mendik
Kevin_Mendik@nps.gov

 

back