Documenting Gardens Researching and Preserving Landscape Designs Saturday, March 7, 1998 Jean Hines, Librarian, New York School of Interior Design This session was co-moderated by Sheila Klos, Head of Library, Architecture and Allied Arts Library, University of Oregon, and Joan Stahl, Coordinator, Image Collections, National Museum of American Art. It consisted of four speakers, each of whom discussed some aspect of the documentation of garden history. The first speaker was Charles Birnbaum, FASLA, Director of National Park Service Historic Landscape Initiative. *Establishing Context for Historic Designed Landscapes: The National Park Service's ĄPioneers of American Landscape Design Database,ĸ* was an account of its evolution. This initiative grow out of the interest In garden documentation and the proliferation of publications on the subject. The purpose of the project is to document those landscape designers, gardeners, and architects who have made significant contributions to American landscape design. Information on many of these pioneers is scant and their contributions hitherto unacknowledged. Efforts to compile information began in 1992, and the database now consists of several thousand entries and has been compiled into two volumes thus far. Birnbaum discussed criteria for establishing standards for landscape preservation and making decisions on stewardship. The second speaker was Lauranne Nash, Chief, Collections Management and Education Branch, Horticultural Services Division, Smithsonian Institution. Her topic, "Archives of American Gardens: Documenting Historic and Contemporary American Landscapes," described the efforts of the Horticulture Services Division and the Garden Club of America to preserve garden history through photographic collections. In 1976 the Horticulture Services Division began to document the grounds and interiorscapes of the Smithsonian by taking 35 mm slides. In 1992 the Garden Club of America (GCA) gave the Smithsonian Institution a collection of 30,000 slides originally called "Slide Library of Notable American Parks and Gardens." It was the intention of the GCA that this collection be cataloged on a database that could retrieve garden images recorded on videodisc. These efforts evolved Into the Archives of American Gardens, officially established in 1992. It is the mission of the AAG to document not only historic gardens, but other sites as well. Special emphasis is given to those gardens subject to neglect or property development. Both the Horticulture Services Division and the GCA continually document their activities by taking slides of gardens and special exhibitions. Data conversion, storage and maintenance were described. Obstacles to documentation, such as copyright and privacy issues were also discussed. The Archive database is now available as part of Smithsonian Institution Research Information Service (SIRIS), a consortium of research databases available via the Internet. Thanks to advances in computer technology and increased availability of the Internet, access to the AAG has been greatly accelerated. The next speaker was Catha Grace Rambusch, is the Director of the CATALOG of Landscape Records in the United States, Wave Hill, The Bronx, New York. *Creating Awareness and Collecting Information About Our Nation's Landscape History: The CATALOG, a Decade of Service," was the title of her paper. Established in 1987, the CATALOG of Landscape Records in the United States is a unique program for locating information about special collections that document land use. Its purpose is not to collect original documents, but rather to identify records held in collections throughout the United States. The CATALOG serves as a clearinghouse for all aspects of landscape records: location, care and placement. It consists of information gathered by staff or submitted by volunteers working in the field. It is organized using a nationally accepted format, Archival and Manuscripts Control (AMC). The descriptive language is taken from the LC Name Authority and Subject Authority files and the Art & Architecture Thesaurus. The database is searched using individual names, corporate entities, geographic locations and others. Entries could represent documents in repositories throughout the U.S. Since much of the information that is submitted is ephemeral, another database, called "Bits and Pieces," is maintained. This database stores information not necessarily connected to documents or collections (such as birth or death dates of obscure practitioners). In time, these data will be connected to a larger body of work. As concern for landscape preservation increases, the original audience of scholars and historians has been joined by students and community groups. The expanded audience uses the CATALOG to challenge unsuitable and destructive land development. The CATALOG accepts inquiries by phone or by written request. The final speaker was Anne Whiston Spirn, Professor of Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning, University of Pennsylvania. She discussed the evolution of her book, FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT: DESIGN FOR AN AMERICAN LANDSCAPE, 1922-1932. Her pursuit of Wright and the Taliesins North and West led to the discovery of three primary sources on Wright's landscapes. In conducting research for the book, Spirn chose to approach the topic from the users point of view, rather than the historian's. She reconstructed Wrightĸs working methodology, obtaining copies of the Mumford/Wright correspondence and studied soil survey maps as he did. Relying upon oral history, she interviewed surviving apprentices and others who collaborated with the architect. She discussed the problems inherent in reconstructing the Taliesins. (Wright was not interested in permanence but in evolution and was given to demolishing structures In order to pursue some new idea.) The evolution of Taliesins North and West is traced through the study of 19th and 20th century photographs of the Jones Valley where Wright grow up. Wright orchestrated every aspect of architectural and landscape design, from consulting local agricultural agents to the grading of the roads. From the compiled results, an absorbing picture emerges of Wright's vision of the union of natural and architectural form. The session was sponsored by The Decorative Arts Roundtable. Handouts were provided by the speakers. There were approximately 90 people in attendance.