[Heritage] Home garden of early landscape architects gets new listing in National Register of Historic Places

[INFO Heritage * OPRD]

The residence and personal garden of early landscape architects Elizabeth Lord and Edith Schryver have been individually listed in the National Register of Historic Places, according to the Oregon State Historic Preservation Office.

The listing was made because the Salem place, named Gaiety Hollow by Lord and Schryver, was created by two women who founded the first woman-owned landscape architecture firm in the Pacific Northwest. It also was listed because of its significant landscape architecture and building architecture, said Diana Painter, the National Register coordinator for the Oregon State Historic Preservation Office.

"It is perhaps the best example of their life's work, a place where they could play out their design principles freely, unfettered by clients' wishes," said Bobbie Dolp, president of the Lord and Schryver Conservancy, which has spent 15 years reinvigorating the history and gardens of Lord and Schryver. "The garden draws on classical garden design traditions but also has a distinctive Pacific Northwest flair, showcasing plants suited to the region."

"The scale and quality of Lord and Schryver's work at Gaiety Hollow is of particular significance for today's garden visitors who are looking for garden design and plants suited to their lives," added Carlo Balistrieri, the Garden Conservancy's vice president of preservation. "The Garden Conservancy is pleased to be working with the Lord and Schryver Conservancy to develop Gaiety Hollow's potential as a resource for the region."

Lord and Schryver established the firm in 1929, a time when very few landscape architects in Oregon were able to sustain a private practice, which Lord and Schryver, nonetheless, did for 40 years. They established a varied practice, encompassing everything from gardens to large civic projects. In 1932, they moved to the site where architect Clarence Smith designed new offices and living quarters for them. Lord and Schryver designed the "home garden" itself, which enabled them to both showcase their work and experiment with new design ideas and planting schemes.

While the site was named a contributing resource to the Gaiety Hill/Bush's Pasture Park Historic District, considerable research during the past decade by the Lord and Schryver Conservancy added new importance to the site.  The conservancy group is using the site as an educational center and is raising funds to purchase it.

The National Register is maintained by the National Park Service under the authority of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966. More information about the National Register and recent Oregon listings is online at www.oregonheritage.org (click on "National Register" at left of page).


Links:

Lord and Schryver Conservancy website http://www.lord-schryverconservancy.org/

Garden Conservancy website www.gardenconservancy.org<http://www.gardenconservancy.org>


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