Drumthwacket Garden Inventory, Assessment and Immediate Action Plan CONTENTS 1) Execuative Summary and Introduction 4 2) Drumthwacket Estate Timeline 6 2) Updated Site Plan 10 3) Existing Garden Beds and Conditions 14 4) Existing Garden Elements 18 5) Water and Drainage 22 6) Vehicle Circulation and Parking 24 7) Site Zones 26 8) Complete Document List 28 8) Future Vision 33 2 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Prepared For: Stephanie Lagos Chief of Staff to the fi rst lady Robyn Brenner Executive Director, Drumthwacket Foundation Matthew McHale Resident Director, Drumthwacket Prepared By: Center for Urban Environmental Sustainability (CUES): Wolfram Hoefer Chairman, Rutgers Department of Landscape Architecture CUES Co-director Angela Johnsen CUES Project Coordinator Travers Martin, Sanja Martic, Jun Wang, John Hayton Rutgers Landscape Architecture Graduate Students Special thanks to: Robert Russell Principal of Holt and Morgan Laura Lawson Dean of Agricultural and Urban Programs, Rutgers University Bruce Crawford Director, Rutgers Gardens Bartlett Tree Experts, Essex Falls Master Gardeners, Gracie Mansion Conservancy, Princeton Historical Society Drumthwacket Garden Inventory, Assessment, and Immediate Action Plan: September, 2018 3 EXECUATIVE SUMMARY Drumthwacket Estate, the offi cial residence of the governor of New Jersey, has the potential to serve as a home, welcoming meeting place, and model of public estate management. Based on historic research and onsite investigation, this report provides a comprehensive inventory of existing conditions of Drumthwacket Garden and outlines fi rst steps toward the goal to preserve its historic signifi cance, enhance public engagement in its upkeep, increase education opportunities, and incorporate best practices for sustainable stormwater management and habitat diversity. 4 INTRODUCTION Drumthwacket Estate is the offi cial residence of the governor feature of the garden today, creating a link from the past to the expanded parking lot. of New Jersey. In coordination with the Drumthwacket Founda- present. A main function of the estate is to serve as the offi cial resi- tion, the Center of Urban Environmental Sustainability at Rutgers The review of historic documents allowed the team to develop dence of the Governor of New Jersey. The garden is used for host- University was tasked with creating an inventory of existing estate a time line of the garden, and provided information to understand ing events of different scales and further has to meet the needs conditions, analyzing the current estate grounds and helping to the existing conditions. On-site surveys of selected dimensions of the Governor’s family living in the residence. A diagrammatic formulate a direction for the future of the Drumthwacket Estate. and elevations were necessary to fi ll-in missing information re- outline of usage zones supports event planning and can further Originally inhabited by the Lenape, the grounds have transi- quired to create an up to date existing conditions map. inform vegetation management strategies. tioned over the course of 300 years from a deciduous forest to a Suggestions for future maintenance of the decorative planting Parking overall is an important component of event manage- colonial agricultural landscape to an Italianate garden. Today, a beds around the Estate and in the Italianate garden were derived ment for Drumthwacket. The discussion of on-site vehicle circu- core feature is the Italianate Garden a typical element of late nine- from visual assessments following conversations with Master lation and parking outlines potentials for a more effi cient parking teenth century estates. Originally designed by Daniel Langton in Gardeners who volunteer caring for the garden in addition to the management. We suggest taking more advantage of off-site 1893, it fell in disrepair in the second half of the twentieth centu- maintenance staff. The diagram on page 14 outlines planting parking opportunities during large-scale event by utilizing a shuttle ry. The 1992 reconstruction happened under signifi cant time and beds with degraded conditions that might become a priority for or valet system. fi nancial constraints, leading to the decision to erase historical improvement of maintenance efforts. retaining walls and balustrades and replace them with a contem- porary Italianate design. The reconstruction maintained the style Drumthwacket Estate has the potential to become a model for We greatly appreciate the effective collaboration with and overall spatial composition, some historical elements were sustainable and resilient landscapes of larger scale mansions. Drumthwacket Foundation, the NJ Department of Environmental preserved including: the wellhead, statue, frog pond, and marble The analysis of slopes, existing drainage infrastructure, and imper- Protection (Director’s Offi ce, Gen Services & Support Services), bench. Besides Drumthwacket Estate itself, the most significant vious surface provides information that allows future explorations and the Offi ce of the First Lady. historical elements on site are the sycamore trees. The trees were of more sustainable stormwater management practices. One ad part of the original garden plantings and remain an important hoc suggestion is to reduce and redirect runoff from the recently Drumthwacket Garden Inventory, Assessment, and Immediate Action Plan: September, 2018 5 TIMELINE (1650~2050) 6 Cha r le s S m ith O lden (1799-1876) In .1799 Charles Smith Olden was bOtn on ltte OJiginal farmsteao. He quickly b ecome very acuve in the public at-rans of the region. later serving as t reasurer and tsust­ ee of the College ot New Jerse)' (now Princeton Universi­ ty) from 1844 to 1850. Olden sefVed as Governor lrom 1.860 to 1864 and advocated to keep New Jersey on the Union side throughout the Civil War, ulDmatelyhefp,ng to sustam tile treasury with his own private funds. -Bits of SJ: Otumthwacke~ South Jersey Maganne 1'.._. John Olden passed t h lS Fought within a q uarter mile of Thomas Olden·s grandson Charles Smith Olden re- t'--..... ~ tract o f land on to h is five orumthwa cket. the Battle of Princeton rep­ tumedfrom h.isbusincs.s in NewOrteans to purchase 40 ~ t......_: sons_ One of them was resents one of the great moral boosters of acres of la Jld and begin construction ofD ru.mthwacket_ ac:, ""'-C Thomas Old en. the Revolutionary War. ~ Thomas Olden sold his 20 The ong1nal farmstead "vas acres to John lsfi ll. sold back to T nomas Olden Hill/Scott Olden Family 1825 Bucolic Landscape 0\ John Hill built t he olden House ", (1759-1765 ) and later sold iL ~ atong with the rest of the land ~ to George Scott. This ls the first. known struc­ ture to be buitt on the p roperty. The construction of the central portion of tho mai n house_ using a design by archi­ tect Char1es Steadman. Drumthwacket Garden Inventory, Assessment, and Immediate Action Plan: September, 2018 ~ITGERS 7 l ' Moses T8)10r Pyne t-i.ee»-1.ttt1,.a~~cr~\W­ Den,iel w. t..angt.on. v.. ~ ~ -'l'O A.bt1r,m ~ ·tnn.nie1 Spanel ctfi0'1.1N1Sl. •• ~ ~ _.q1'• 8o,oftll,ot ~ !,..._ 188,,4 IO .1.921 ---"'"'-~ C/1 t"9 ~!rle~~Of:ro,.Ol!...zi., l. '"4'IO •.-0..,.........,, enot,wa,w ~ .,.__..Clf"OolMb....:,. • ~<W"o1"e..--..c;r•~....,~ --.~1111>#-.-....-~0,,.,,.. w ~ ~-r""'"""""'°~1C>U'!ol>'~ot~-"'*~• ~ .......~....,~OftlO!Of~'!f.~aco,.c_ -~~1 .... ---r~-~~~c,.,...., lt(,:2....,.oc,,_.,-_acon:reaw~o..~~ &44,1.(....., ........ ~~~--~~« IO~lhe~~t;,S,,,.~ ~v,e~ "',..~~,.o~.ooo~~-­ ... Nf~ol!M~~DU'f'SO,.,.ft. ~ir..n""""'.,.. a cul~ ~~oc~--tiw~....,,_o-~.-~ ..._~-o,w.«li'C t..a.,,p:,n,• ~ ocv...~o-w~~ ~~ ....... w,c,on,~~~Ow;;,rrc.,_.,... ....-1;r-~c,i,e.........._.,~-~ OtVftUI C: t-floe«. IO ..._,.f'~C,.---.. ~ ~en,. ~arid~""'<>....... ,....,.o,ir,., $par,c1J,.• -- ~~~~ -w- ,_.,-w,;c. • ~.~ »-r.-~2. ,.~........,.~ _.......,.~~~Ott..zatf I 0\ """"""' .oMQlw~..... D ........... .... ~-~IMiffl~C,,,hk ~,...,,........~~ ~ /l#'lftoao.,.,. ... S.15.000.. n,..,. ~--- - C'\--1 C\ oon..-,.......,...,.__. ..... ,.-..1"4)111:Wl')o>9r. 0,:.-..ai 4C..,.., u ec:r., - 11",e - · ~~-.oe....,,................. "OQ co ---°'°'"-"""" •.• _...._, °' ~~..._..-0-,.,...... .......,.,,. t:lle - c, "'- c.....,.. - ............. .......,_ -.... .,_..~~... ~ ..... -.-.....-~,-~rw-~~ ....,.,,.,_..._ • ...,,. '*""",,.... ~ '""'c.. a,,oo. 0,. '*°' 4Ul«""-~ --.ow• <• ---.... --.c--"l~tr,"~~a.....,: ~o o ......... ~~--~(11-*C)O -~~,._...~-~·e- --ao,-.c,~....,"""'9~1ne~•· -......c.c = ........ Pyne Family S an el Famil 1875 1900 192s ..~~ ...---~G9,,,­ 1950 """"-~1.$2$-192'7.n.0"'9CJ'I­ ....,.~c,,-w-....... ~~ - Italianate Garden Stabilizing,__. u..,,.,,~ 0-. .__... "-- ........_ APOc:.t'..... -"*°""dh .. ~ .........GilOed ..."'"" ... dOOIJ. ..,_....,.... __ ~-· .-,:~ttJiOCl9,..°" ..... ~ ....... ............. ~~ .,.......,.........--0,W-llhe~~ _.,....OIIO-.s.,a,,~ e-...... 19:)5...., 19-40. ~ ...- 0 ~~-.CIUICNM' or~ NiU:M ....S ~.~....,,...... ~» ·----or,cr.~~~ ~ ~--~ Thoo,.Cf'I.~ 9',0I, ~-....-~ °'...... ---~_..,~_._............. ~P......O-b>.-•..-,~""' u,..,..-.a --~~ o.,.. .c1 n~--.....c..-o.n n- "----~-......., ~ .111 11 • .,~---~ ..,,., tf'4 ....,,.. <IOVt» - ~-.-,19,&1 ~....~~"""~----- COf...~•o,c:c,.,,..... ...... °""~°'~~... -... 1"'-IO-.lltn--~ ""'><h~(~ w~~~· ~.._._ .... ~-- - ~~....O~OOIA. •.:. '+it»_.....,.. -..,..,,~°"-~ ~-........ ~t,,t,dtr,...-,0 = -- .....- 8 TheTh timelineti li illillustrates t t hhow DDrumthwacket thk t GGarden d iis lilinked kd to the history of New Jersey. Originally established as a Quaker farm by the Olden family, some of its bucolic