United States of America -- Washington -- Pierce County -- Tacoma
Lakewold (Tacoma, Washington)
Scope and Contents:
13 4 X 6in. photographic prints, 11 postcards, approximately 88 35mm slides (originals and reproductions), and 2 folders. Folder 1 includes extensive information about the garden (newspaper clippings, annual meeting brochures, etc.), correspondence between Mrs. Corydon Wagner, a copy of a 1930 booklet created by the Tacoma Garden Club for the 1930 Garden Club of America annual meeting, and Eleanor Weller and research on findings for the Olmsted Brothers.
Biographical / Historical:
Eulalie Merrill (1904-1991) was born on October 16, 1904 in Seattle to Dwight and Eula Lee Merrill. She was an avid golf player who held The Pacific Northwest Ladies title for three straight years. She and Corydon Wagner acquired the Lakewold property in 1938 and gardening became more important than golf. She received the Garden Club of America Medal of Merit in 1968, the Montague Award in 1978, the Creative Leadership award in 1984, and the Zone Horticultural Achievement Award also in 1984. Mrs. Wagner gave the gardens to The Friends of Lakewold, an organization with the specific purpose of assuming responsibility for its care.
Varying Form:
Inglewood, formerly known as.
General:
Located on ten acres, this garden is a collection of several gardens surrounding a Georgian home on Gravelly Lake in Lakewold, a suburb of Tacmoa. Mr. and Mrs. Cordydon Wagner purchased the estate in 1938. The perimeter fence, gate and brick walkway were part of the early design. However, the original designer is unknown. In the 1950s, landscape architect Thomas Church redesigned the gardens to include a quatrefoil-shaped swimming pool, a shade garden around a 200-year-old Douglas fir (considered a "wolf" tree), a lookout to the rock gardens, waterfalls and pools leading to the lake. Church discouraged the development of a rock garden since it would cause the neglect of the formal areas, but Mrs. Wagner insisted.
The property is dominated by giant Douglas Fir trees and features an extensive collection of rhododendron. It features a brick walkway leading to a vine-covered summer house. The walk is bordered by boxwood parterres, one shaped in a quatrefoil which repeats the design of the swimming pool. The pool is on an axis with a view of Mt. Rainier framed by trees across Gravelly Lake. The garden also features an Elizabethan knot garden planted with herbs, a rock garden, and an exotic tree collection. When the garden was redesigned in the 1950s by Thomas Church, 200 firs were felled to balance the woods with the openess of the site. Dressing rooms and a kitchen were added to the teahouse and gazebo, the port-cochere was removed from the house and a motor court was added to accomodate space for twenty cars, and a glassed-in room with a Plexiglass roof was added to the side of the house that faced the swimming pool.
Persons associated with the property include: Mr. and Mrs. H. F. Alexander (former owner, before 1924), Mrs. Evertt Griggs (former owner, 1924), Mr. and Mrs. Corydon Wagner, Jr. (former owner, 1938), The Friends of Lakewold Foundation (owner, circa 1989), Thomas Church (landscape architect, 1953)
There is no direct connection between Mr. and Mrs. Alexander and the Olmsted firm. A tenuous link may exist through E.C. Griggs (job number 3725). Mr. Everett Griggs wrote to the Olmsted firm, specifically to James Dawson, in January of 1911, sending them a topographical survey, which he had prepared for the property. He noted that he had been in touch with Alex MacDougall, superintendent of the Thorne estate who had worked on several Olmsted gardens in the area. The next letter in the file is from May 1923 from Alex MacDougall (working in the Highlands in Seattle) to James Dawson.
Related Materials:
Related materials are located with Mrs. Wagner's family, Tacoma Public Library, and Washington Historical Society.
Provenance:
Extensive garden documentation compiled by Eleanor Weller for the Slide Library of Notable American Parks and Gardens. Updates were made by Mrs. Joseph L. Carman, III of Tacoma, Washington.
Collection Restrictions:
Access to original archival materials by appointment only. Researcher must submit request for appointment in writing. Certain items may be restricted and not available to researchers. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.
Collection Rights:
Archives of American Gardens encourages the use of its archival materials for non-commercial, educational and personal use under the fair use provision of U.S. copyright law. Use or copyright restrictions may exist. It is incumbent upon the researcher to ascertain copyright status and assume responsibility for usage. All requests for duplication and use must be submitted in writing and approved by Archives of American Gardens. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.
Topic:
Gardens -- Washington (State) -- Tacoma Search this
Collection Citation:
Smithsonian Institution, Archives of American Gardens, The Garden Club of America collection.
Sponsor:
A project to describe images in this finding aid received Federal support from the Smithsonian Collections Care Initiative, administered by the National Collections Program.
United States of America -- Ohio -- Cuyahoga County -- Cleveland
General:
Further sources of information include: 1. Your Garden and Home. Garden Greetings. May, 1937, page 1. 2. Garden Design. Summer, 1988, page 21. Japanese Garden established in 1975 by David A. Slawson.
Related Materials:
Garden Center Of Cleveland related holdings consist of 1 slide (col.)
Collection Restrictions:
Access to original archival materials by appointment only. Researcher must submit request for appointment in writing. Certain items may be restricted and not available to researchers. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.
Collection Rights:
Archives of American Gardens encourages the use of its archival materials for non-commercial, educational and personal use under the fair use provision of U.S. copyright law. Use or copyright restrictions may exist. It is incumbent upon the researcher to ascertain copyright status and assume responsibility for usage. All requests for duplication and use must be submitted in writing and approved by Archives of American Gardens. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.
Smithsonian Institution, Archives of American Gardens, The Garden Club of America collection.
Sponsor:
A project to describe images in this finding aid received Federal support from the Smithsonian Collections Care Initiative, administered by the National Collections Program.
United States of America -- Ohio -- Cuyahoga County -- Cleveland
Date:
1937
General:
The Garden Center of Greater Cleveland is an non-profit organization for horticulture education and gardening. There are a variety of gardens that are maintained by staff and volunteers such as a reading garden, herb garden, rose garden, Japanese garden, etc. . .
Collection Restrictions:
Access to original archival materials by appointment only. Researcher must submit request for appointment in writing. Certain items may be restricted and not available to researchers. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.
Collection Rights:
Archives of American Gardens encourages the use of its archival materials for non-commercial, educational and personal use under the fair use provision of U.S. copyright law. Use or copyright restrictions may exist. It is incumbent upon the researcher to ascertain copyright status and assume responsibility for usage. All requests for duplication and use must be submitted in writing and approved by Archives of American Gardens. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.
Smithsonian Institution, Archives of American Gardens, The Garden Club of America collection.
Sponsor:
A project to describe images in this finding aid received Federal support from the Smithsonian Collections Care Initiative, administered by the National Collections Program.
United States of America -- Ohio -- Cuyahoga County -- Cleveland
Date:
1937
General:
The Garden Center of Greater Cleveland is an non-profit organization for horticulture education and gardening. There are a variety of gardens that are maintained by staff and volunteers such as a reading garden, herb garden, rose garden, Japanese garden, etc. . . Swetland Rose Garden, established in 1971. C. W. Knight, Landscape Architect. Two 35-mm slide duplicates.
Collection Restrictions:
Access to original archival materials by appointment only. Researcher must submit request for appointment in writing. Certain items may be restricted and not available to researchers. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.
Collection Rights:
Archives of American Gardens encourages the use of its archival materials for non-commercial, educational and personal use under the fair use provision of U.S. copyright law. Use or copyright restrictions may exist. It is incumbent upon the researcher to ascertain copyright status and assume responsibility for usage. All requests for duplication and use must be submitted in writing and approved by Archives of American Gardens. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.
Smithsonian Institution, Archives of American Gardens, The Garden Club of America collection.
Sponsor:
A project to describe images in this finding aid received Federal support from the Smithsonian Collections Care Initiative, administered by the National Collections Program.
United States of America -- Ohio -- Cuyahoga County -- Cleveland
Date:
1937
General:
The Garden Center of Greater Cleveland is an non-profit organization for horticulture education and gardening. There are a variety of gardens that are maintained by staff and volunteers such as a reading garden, herb garden, rose garden, Japanese garden, etc. . . Western Reserve Herb Garden established in 1969.
Collection Restrictions:
Access to original archival materials by appointment only. Researcher must submit request for appointment in writing. Certain items may be restricted and not available to researchers. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.
Collection Rights:
Archives of American Gardens encourages the use of its archival materials for non-commercial, educational and personal use under the fair use provision of U.S. copyright law. Use or copyright restrictions may exist. It is incumbent upon the researcher to ascertain copyright status and assume responsibility for usage. All requests for duplication and use must be submitted in writing and approved by Archives of American Gardens. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.
Smithsonian Institution, Archives of American Gardens, The Garden Club of America collection.
Sponsor:
A project to describe images in this finding aid received Federal support from the Smithsonian Collections Care Initiative, administered by the National Collections Program.
United States of America -- Ohio -- Cuyahoga County -- Cleveland
Date:
1980
General:
The Garden Center of Greater Cleveland is an non-profit organization for horticulture education and gardening. There are a variety of gardens that are maintained by staff and volunteers such as a reading garden, herb garden, rose garden, Japanese garden, etc. . . Western Reserve Herb Garden established in 1969. Elsetta Gilchrist Barnes, Landscape Architect. 1 - 35mm slide duplicate.
Collection Restrictions:
Access to original archival materials by appointment only. Researcher must submit request for appointment in writing. Certain items may be restricted and not available to researchers. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.
Collection Rights:
Archives of American Gardens encourages the use of its archival materials for non-commercial, educational and personal use under the fair use provision of U.S. copyright law. Use or copyright restrictions may exist. It is incumbent upon the researcher to ascertain copyright status and assume responsibility for usage. All requests for duplication and use must be submitted in writing and approved by Archives of American Gardens. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.
Smithsonian Institution, Archives of American Gardens, The Garden Club of America collection.
Sponsor:
A project to describe images in this finding aid received Federal support from the Smithsonian Collections Care Initiative, administered by the National Collections Program.
United States of America -- Ohio -- Cuyahoga County -- Cleveland
Date:
1980
General:
The Garden Center of Greater Cleveland is an non-profit organization for horticulture education and gardening. There are a variety of gardens that are maintained by staff and volunteers such as a reading garden, herb garden, rose garden, Japanese garden, etc. . . Evans Reading Garden established in 1973. William A. Behnke, Landscape Architect.
Collection Restrictions:
Access to original archival materials by appointment only. Researcher must submit request for appointment in writing. Certain items may be restricted and not available to researchers. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.
Collection Rights:
Archives of American Gardens encourages the use of its archival materials for non-commercial, educational and personal use under the fair use provision of U.S. copyright law. Use or copyright restrictions may exist. It is incumbent upon the researcher to ascertain copyright status and assume responsibility for usage. All requests for duplication and use must be submitted in writing and approved by Archives of American Gardens. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.
Smithsonian Institution, Archives of American Gardens, The Garden Club of America collection.
Sponsor:
A project to describe images in this finding aid received Federal support from the Smithsonian Collections Care Initiative, administered by the National Collections Program.
United States of America -- Ohio -- Cuyahoga County -- Cleveland
Date:
1980
General:
The Garden Center of Greater Cleveland is an non-profit organization for horticulture education and gardening. There are a variety of gardens that are maintained by staff and volunteers such as a reading garden, herb garden, rose garden, Japanese garden, etc. . . Evans Reading Garden established in 1973. William A. Behnke, Landscape Architect.
Collection Restrictions:
Access to original archival materials by appointment only. Researcher must submit request for appointment in writing. Certain items may be restricted and not available to researchers. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.
Collection Rights:
Archives of American Gardens encourages the use of its archival materials for non-commercial, educational and personal use under the fair use provision of U.S. copyright law. Use or copyright restrictions may exist. It is incumbent upon the researcher to ascertain copyright status and assume responsibility for usage. All requests for duplication and use must be submitted in writing and approved by Archives of American Gardens. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.
Smithsonian Institution, Archives of American Gardens, The Garden Club of America collection.
Sponsor:
A project to describe images in this finding aid received Federal support from the Smithsonian Collections Care Initiative, administered by the National Collections Program.
United States of America -- Ohio -- Cuyahoga County -- Cleveland
Date:
1980
General:
The Garden Center of Greater Cleveland is an non-profit organization for horticulture education and gardening. There are a variety of gardens that are maintained by staff and volunteers such as a reading garden, herb garden, rose garden, Japanese garden, etc. . . Japanese Garden established in 1975. David A. Slawson, Landscape Architect.
Collection Restrictions:
Access to original archival materials by appointment only. Researcher must submit request for appointment in writing. Certain items may be restricted and not available to researchers. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.
Collection Rights:
Archives of American Gardens encourages the use of its archival materials for non-commercial, educational and personal use under the fair use provision of U.S. copyright law. Use or copyright restrictions may exist. It is incumbent upon the researcher to ascertain copyright status and assume responsibility for usage. All requests for duplication and use must be submitted in writing and approved by Archives of American Gardens. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.
Smithsonian Institution, Archives of American Gardens, The Garden Club of America collection.
Sponsor:
A project to describe images in this finding aid received Federal support from the Smithsonian Collections Care Initiative, administered by the National Collections Program.
United States of America -- Ohio -- Cuyahoga County -- Cleveland
Date:
1980
General:
The Garden Center of Greater Cleveland is an non-profit organization for horticulture education and gardening. There are a variety of gardens that are maintained by staff and volunteers such as a reading garden, herb garden, rose garden, Japanese garden, etc. . . Japanese Garden established in 1975. David A. Slawson, Landscape Architect.
Collection Restrictions:
Access to original archival materials by appointment only. Researcher must submit request for appointment in writing. Certain items may be restricted and not available to researchers. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.
Collection Rights:
Archives of American Gardens encourages the use of its archival materials for non-commercial, educational and personal use under the fair use provision of U.S. copyright law. Use or copyright restrictions may exist. It is incumbent upon the researcher to ascertain copyright status and assume responsibility for usage. All requests for duplication and use must be submitted in writing and approved by Archives of American Gardens. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.
Smithsonian Institution, Archives of American Gardens, The Garden Club of America collection.
Sponsor:
A project to describe images in this finding aid received Federal support from the Smithsonian Collections Care Initiative, administered by the National Collections Program.
The records of Chaloner Prize Foundation measure 4.0 linear feet and date from 1915 to 1974. The records consist of the files of the two Secretaries, George F. Lewis and S. LeRoy French, and four of the Trustees, Charles Platt, William Rand, Olin Dows, and William Platt. Included within these records are correspondence, lists, files on award recipients, and three scrapbooks maintained by Dows. Also found within the collection are legal records, printed material, and financial records.
Scope and Content Note:
The records of Chaloner Prize Foundation measure 4.0 linear feet and date from 1915 to 1974. The records consist of the files of the two Secretaries, George F. Lewis and S. LeRoy French, and four of the Trustees, Charles Platt, William Rand, Olin Dows, and William Platt. Included within these records are correspondence, lists, files on award recipients, and three scrapbooks maintained by Dows. Also found within the collection are legal records, printed material, and financial records.
The Secretaries' Files contain backgroundpapers and photographs of John Chaloner's home in Virginia. Early correspondence includes letters from John Chaloner to Foundation officials on a variety of issues concerning his personal history and legal battles, personal perceptions regarding jurying and applicants, as well as observations about award amounts and duration of grants. Correspondence informed trustees of business transactions, legal matters, and awardee activities. Also found in this series are examples of competition circulars for other organizations, distribution lists, and rough drafts for the Paris Prize announcements.
Trustees' files are composed primarily of the records of William Platt, but include earlier minutes and bylaws. Within the correspondence are letters and telegrams to awardees. Of particular note are scrapbooks compiled by Trustee Olin Dows on the history of grants, covering activities between 1917 and 1960. A few correspondence files from Lawton Parker, Charles Platt and William and Robert Rand can be found here as well.
Legal records document the New York Supreme Court Judgment of 1917 and the transfer of assets to the American Academy in Rome. Printed material includes a poster; applications, notices, regulations and conditions for prizes; booklets on the activities of the Foundation; and information from other artist organizations. Financial records contain documentation on early expenses and income; receipts and transmittals; and scattered financial holdings statements.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged as # series:
Missing Title
Series 1: Secretaries' Files, 1916-1974 (Box 1-2; 1.6 linear feet)
Series 2: Trustees' Files, 1915-1974 (Box 2-4; 1.6)
Series 3: Legal Records, 1917-1974 (Box 4; 0.3 linear feet)
Series 4: Printed Material, 1919-1971 (Box 4; 8 folders)
Series 5: Financial Records, 1917-1967 (Box 4; 0.3 linear feet)
Historical Note:
The Chaloner Prize Foundation was founded in 1890 by John Armstrong Chaloner in New York, NY, for the purpose of granting awards to individual artists for study of art in Paris. Initially known as the "Paris Prize Fund," held by the United States Trust Company of New York, the fund relied on contributions from art patrons such as Henry and Arthur Astor Carey. Due to personal troubles Chaloner could not manage the account and passed power of attorney to others. By 1917 the Trust had made only two grants. That year Chaloner brough suit against Bankers Trust Company and "others" in order to incorporate the foundation. The subsequent legal judgement by the New York State Supreme Court created the grant-administering institution.
Following the 1917 reorganization, the Foundation's first award for Paris Prize was $4,800 plus travel expenses to John Ferris Connah for five years (1921-1926). Subsequent awards were $6,000 with grantees selected every other year. With the beginning of World War II, Europe was not longer a secure place for visiting artists, and the 1939 and 1940 award recipients studied in Mexico. No further grants were given until 1948.
Lawton S. Parker, Charles A. Platt, and William Rand, Jr. were appointed to the first board of trustees. George F. Lewis was appointed as Foundation clerk. He maintained correspondence, set up board meetings, and communicated with artists as needed. When Charles Platt and William Rand, Jr. died in the early 1930s, they were succeeded by their sons, William Platt and Robert Rand. Shortly after Lewis resigned in 1938, S. LeRoy French secretary.
In 1969 national legislation regarding tax-exempt foundations made the future increasingly uncertain for trusts like the Chaloner Prize Foundation. In 1973 a final grant was made to the American Academy in Rome to be used for a fellowship in sculpture. In 1974 the foundation was dissolved and all assets and records were transferred to the American Academy in Rome.
Related Material:
Also available at the Archives of American Art are the American Academy in Rome Records, 1855-circa 1981.
Provenance:
The collection was donated in 1982 by the American Academy in Rome, along with their records. During the processing of the Academy's records, it was determined that the Chaloner Prize Foundation records were a separate entity, and the collection was separated from the Academy records.
Restrictions:
Use of original papers requires an appointment.
Rights:
Authorization to quote or reproduce for the purposes of publication requires written permission from President, American Academy in Rome. Contact Reference Services for more information.
The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.
