Planting Fields Arboretum is a 409-acre historic site in Oyster Bay on the North Shore of Long Island. Located in an area often called the Gold Coast, the site was among hundreds of grand estates built in the late 1800s and early 1900s that reflected the emerging wealth sparked by the Industrial Revolution. While the fate of most of these estates was grim, Planting Fields survived with its acreage and historic structures intact. [Read more…] about Planting Fields: An Olmstedian Vision Blooms
Landscape Architecture Series
Tracing the Roots of Bayard Cutting Arboretum
Bayard Cutting Arboretum is a 691-acre New York state park situated along the Connetquot River on the south shore of Long Island in the town of Islip.
The former Westbrook estate of Mr. William Bayard Cutting (1850-1912), a hobby botanist and conifer enthusiast, holds a rich history of landscape design and botanical specimens dating back to the nineteenth century. [Read more…] about Tracing the Roots of Bayard Cutting Arboretum
Lorenzo State Historic Site’s Garden And Dark Aisle
For centuries, ornamental gardening was a popular upper-class pastime. But by the early 1800s, recreational gardening was fast becoming an integral part of life for all. In keeping with the prevailing idea that the glory of nature should be brought indoors, large homes often featured greenhouses, urban dwellings installed window boxes, and floral and plant motifs were popular for interior decorating. [Read more…] about Lorenzo State Historic Site’s Garden And Dark Aisle
A Ramble in the Jay Estate Gardens
The newly revitalized and award-winning Jay Estate Gardens at Jay Heritage Center in Rye, Westchester County, NY, are an expansive, educational, green space where American history, sustainability, and diverse cultural narratives all converge in an accessible, and visually powerful way. [Read more…] about A Ramble in the Jay Estate Gardens
NYC’s High Line Park: Wild by Design Since 2009
During this milestone year celebrating 15 years since the opening of the park, “Wild by Design Since 2009,” the High Line‘s annual and ongoing Horticulture Celebration, is spotlighting the work of Dutch planting designer Piet Oudolf, who translated the magic of the self-seeded landscape of the derelict railway into what you see today. [Read more…] about NYC’s High Line Park: Wild by Design Since 2009
Genesee Valley Park & The Barge Canal: Roman Arches Over Indian Rivers
The partnership of Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux pioneered American landscape architecture. Their work in Manhattan’s Central Park, Brooklyn’s Prospect Park and Boston’s Franklin Park set new standards for outdoor spaces which some Upstate New York cities such as Buffalo sought to emulate, albeit on a reduced scale. [Read more…] about Genesee Valley Park & The Barge Canal: Roman Arches Over Indian Rivers
Mansions, Monuments, and Marvels of Riverside Park
The new book Heaven on the Hudson: Mansions, Monuments, and Marvels of Riverside Park (Empire State Editions, 2022) by Stephanie Azzarone with photographs by Robert F. Rodriguez is a colorful tale of a singular New York City neighborhood and the personalities who make it special.
To outsiders or East Siders, Riverside Park and Riverside Drive may not have the star status of Fifth Avenue or Central Park West. But at the city’s westernmost edge, there is a quiet and beauty like few other places in all of New York. There are miles of mansions and monuments, acres of flora, and a breadth of wildlife ranging from Peregrine falcons to goats. [Read more…] about Mansions, Monuments, and Marvels of Riverside Park
Newburgh’s Downing Park, A Short History
The Shelter House Café in Newburgh‘s Downing Park, brings together several strands of the city’s long and complex history. The brainchild and labor-of-love of restaurateur Stephen Sinnott, it builds on decades of effort by the non-profit Downing Park Preservation Committee to restore the historic park to its former prominence in the life of the city. [Read more…] about Newburgh’s Downing Park, A Short History