Pioneer Information
Born in Homestead, Pennsylvania, Jones attended the University of Cincinnati before transferring to Ohio State University, graduating with a B.S. in landscape architecture in 1926. Upon graduating, Jones joined the Cleveland firm Pitkin & Mott as a landscape architect. ln 1933 he joined the National Park Service as the acting resident landscape architect for the newly authorized Mammoth Cave National Park in Kentucky, working to shape the park’s development for three years before returning to Cleveland. Jones briefly rejoined the office of Pitkin & Mott in 1936 before becoming the city’s Assistant Chief Landscape Architect later that year. In 1938 Jones replaced Arthur Alexander as Cleveland’s Chief Landscape Architect and worked on projects including the Greek Cultural Garden in Rockefeller Park. In 1949 Jones was appointed commissioner of the Division of Design and Construction, serving for twenty years. As commissioner, Jones established numerous recreational facilities, including public pools and ballfields, and developed the city’s lakefront airport. He additionally authored articles for Landscape Architecture magazine and taught landscape design and construction at Cleveland’s John Huntington Polytechnic Institute from 1950 to 1954.
As a member of the American Institute of Park Executives and the National Recreation Association, Jones served on panels that studied playgrounds and standards of swimming pool construction. He was elected a Fellow of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) in 1955. Jones was involved with ASLA until his death, working with the Civil Service Committee as well as the City and Regional Parks and Playgrounds Committee. He passed away at the age of 67 and buried in Cleveland’s Lake View Cemetery.
