Preserving the History of Landscape Architecture

The ASLA Archives and Collections Committee has a new request for members to help identify and locate the professional archives of ASLA Fellows. The committee is creating a database of information on the ASLA Fellows and needs members to help by providing information on the identity and location of archive materials.

Why is this work important? Consider this: Many cities feature a park designed by Frederick Law Olmsted or the Olmsted Brothers firm. If city government or members of the public want to find an original design, or even determine that the association to Olmsted is correct, it is relatively easy to track down the archives of the firm, which can be found either at the Library of Congress or Fairsted, the long-time office of the firm. But what of all the other landscape architects and their papers and designs? Where are the archives for Annette Hoyt Flanders, Fletcher Steele, or Ian McHarg? They were significant professionals, respected enough to be elected Fellows of ASLA. Materials for Flanders have been contributed to the Sophia Smith Archive at Smith College. Fletcher Steele materials are housed at SUNY-College of Environmental Science and Forestry in Syracuse, New York. Those for Ian McHarg are retained by the WMRT office. However, those for Downing Vaux or Marian Packard or Karl Lohmann are not so easily located. The ASLA Archives and Collections Committee would like to ask members to help identify and locate the archives of the ASLA Fellows.

The Archive Committee is striving to make sure that the many collections of books and images, boxes of letters and contracts, rolls of drawings, and all the other pieces of practice are saved for future generations of students, practitioners, and even landscape historians. They have begun by identifying archival materials stored by local ASLA chapters, historical societies, and university libraries. ASLA Fellows, the committee suggests, should plan to place their materials in an archive when they retire from practice. The sad story of Dan Kiley's immense collection burning in a horrific fire is well known.

While ASLA does not have the facilities to store archives, committee members are able to help locate a home for the important treasures. The history of the landscape architecture profession and the leaders in the field, many of whom have been elected ASLA Fellows, is a vital part of the present and future. Those with information on any archival materials associated with ASLA Fellows should contact ASLA by sending an email to ASLA Librarian Marlene Koenig at mkoenig@asla.org or Susan Cahill at scahill@asla.org.