The Carl S. English Jr. Botanical Garden at the Hiram M. Chittenden
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THE CARL S. ENGLISH JR. BOTANICAL GARDEN AT THE HIRAM M. CHITTENDEN LOCKS: SUPPLEMENTAL HISTORIC GROUNDS REPORT AND MANAGEMENT PLAN FOR INCLUSION IN LAKE WASHINGTON SHIP CANAL PROJECT MASTER PLANNING Stephen Munro June 2019 A project in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Environmental Horticulture University of Washington School of Environmental and Forest Sciences Committee: Jon Bakker, Caren Crandell, Jim Fridley, and Soo-Hyung Kim 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS ABBREVIATIONS ....................................................................................................... 9 PREFACE .................................................................................................................. 10 2.1 Preface................................................................................................................ 10 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ........................................................................................... 11 3.1 Executive summary ............................................................................................. 11 STATEMENT OF PURPOSE ..................................................................................... 12 4.1 Statement of purpose .......................................................................................... 12 Mission ......................................................................................................... 12 Background and Context ............................................................................. 12 What this report and plan delivers ............................................................... 14 4.2 Who should use this Carl S. English Jr. Botanical Garden at the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks: Supplemental Historic Grounds Report and Management Plan for inclusions in Lake Washington Ship Canal Master Planning. ........................................ 16 LWSC OPM, NRM and NRS and LWSC staff .............................................. 16 Seattle District Environmental and Cultural Resources Branch and Seattle District Technical Center of Expertise for Preservation of Historic Structures and Buildings .................................................................................................................... 16 Seattle District Operations Division .............................................................. 16 Writers and editors of LWSC Master Plans .................................................. 16 Seattle District Public Affairs Office.............................................................. 16 Schools, researchers, professors and students ........................................... 16 Public ........................................................................................................... 16 THE GARDEN AND CAREER OF ENGLISH ............................................................ 16 5.1 Introduction to the garden ................................................................................... 16 5.2 The Hiram M. Chittenden Locks: A singular place by design .............................. 17 5.3 Carl S. English Jr.: Botanist, horticulturist, dirt gardener, meritorious and outstanding civil servant ................................................................................................ 18 5.4 Legal, regulatory, and designatory framework of the garden .............................. 20 5.5 The landscape architecture of the garden ........................................................... 21 5.6 The absence of a management plan ................................................................... 22 METHODOLOGY ....................................................................................................... 22 2 6.1 Reference material .............................................................................................. 22 6.2 Previous reports on the garden ........................................................................... 22 1989 Historic Grounds Report ..................................................................... 23 2013 NPS USACE Landscape Chronology ................................................. 23 6.3 1976 Botanical garden brochure and tour ........................................................... 24 6.4 Kathy Mendelson’s 1982 Plant Inventory ............................................................ 25 6.5 1998 Historic Property Management Plan for LWSC .......................................... 25 6.6 1994 LWSC Master Plan ..................................................................................... 26 6.7 Locks archives and University of Washington Special Collections: photographs, plans, maps, artifacts, and documents .......................................................................... 26 Letters of A.W. Sargent and Commanders 1915-22 .................................... 27 Cornell University: English’s seed catalogs 1931-59 ................................... 28 6.8 Articles and papers written about garden ............................................................ 31 6.9 Trees of Seattle 2nd. Edition 2004 ....................................................................... 32 6.10 Interviews ............................................................................................................ 32 6.11 Revised time periods of garden development ..................................................... 32 Original Era .................................................................................................. 32 Nascent Era ................................................................................................. 32 English Era .................................................................................................. 32 Fleming Era ................................................................................................. 32 Present Era .................................................................................................. 32 6.12 Updated plant listing and bed and area descriptions .......................................... 33 SUPPLEMENTAL HISTORIC GROUNDS REPORT ................................................. 33 7.1 1989 Historic Grounds Report ............................................................................. 33 7.2 Updated eras of garden development and supplemental information ................. 34 7.3 The role of the firm Bebb and Gould during the Original Era .............................. 34 7.4 Original Era: Letters written by Sargent between Seattle District Army Engineers and Seattle Board of Park Commissioners .................................................................... 40 7.5 The Nascent Era: A new interpretation of English’s influence prior to 1941 ........ 43 7.6 Fleming Era post-1989 report: Construction of Entryway Phase I & II including the Circular Drive, and the subsequent expansion of bed(s) 215 band stage plaza and fountain .......................................................................................................................... 45 Rehabilitation of the North Entryway 1979-1989 .......................................... 45 Entryway Phase I ......................................................................................... 45 3 Entryway Phase II ........................................................................................ 46 The expansion of bed(s) 215 including band stage and fountain ................. 50 7.7 Present Era: Installation of a barrier fence at the Cavanaugh House ................. 52 CARL S. ENGLISH JR. BOTANICAL GARDEN MANAGEMENT PLAN ................. 53 8.1 Intent ................................................................................................................... 53 8.2 Operational context of garden within the mission of the LWSC .......................... 54 Garden in relation to LWSC operations ....................................................... 54 Legal, regulatory, and designation framework ............................................. 54 Garden visitation .......................................................................................... 55 Residence of the Seattle District Engineer ................................................... 55 8.3 Layers of garden development over the five garden eras ................................... 55 Original Era 1915-1930 ................................................................................ 55 Nascent Era 1932-1940 ............................................................................... 55 English Era 1941-1974 ................................................................................ 56 Fleming Era 1978-2004 ............................................................................... 57 Present Era 2004- 2019 ............................................................................... 63 8.4 A Botanical Sanctuary: What the garden is ......................................................... 64 English’s botanical sanctuary ....................................................................... 64 English’s plants ............................................................................................ 65 8.5 How to emulate English in managing the garden ................................................ 70 English’s commentary .................................................................................. 71 English’s tenets ............................................................................................ 71 8.6 The landscape style of the English garden and 89 Report