National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior CULTURAL LANDSCAPE REPORT FOR ASPET SAINT-GAUDENS NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE VOLUME II: RECENT HISTORY, EXISTING CONDITIONS, AND ANALYSIS CULTURAL LANDSCAPE REPORT for ASPET SAINT-GAUDENS NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE “There was hardly a week…that he CORNISH, NEW HAMPSHIRE [Augustus Saint- Gaudens] did not have something rebuilt or regraded to his intense enjoyment.” Homer Saint-Gaudens, VOLUME II 1913 RECENT HISTORY __________________________________________________________ EXISTING CONDITIONS __________________________________________________________ ANALYSIS By Lisa Nowak Margie Coffin Brown Contributors Erica Max Jan Haenraets Joel Smith John W. Hammond With Cynthia Zaitzevsky and Marion Pressley, Pressley Associates, Inc. Olmsted Center for Landscape Preservation National Park Service, Boston, Massachusetts, 2009 i CULTURAL LANDSCAPE REPORT FOR ASPET, VOLUME II The Olmsted Center for Landscape Preservation promotes the stewardship of significant landscapes through research, planning, and sustainable preservation maintenance. The Center accomplishes its mission in collaboration with a network of partners including national parks, universities, government agencies, and private nonprofit organizations. Techniques and principles of preservation practice are made available through training and publications. The Olmsted Center perpetuates the tradition of the Olmsted firms and Frederick Law Olmsted’s lifelong commitment to people, parks, and public spaces. Olmsted Center for Landscape Preservation Boston National Historical Park Charlestown Navy Yard, Quarters C Boston, MA 02129 Phone: 617.241.6954 Fax: 617.241.3952 www.nps.gov/oclp/ Publication Credits: Graphics from sources other than federal repositories may not be reproduced without the permission of the owners noted in the captions. Other information in this publication may be copied and used with the condition that full credit be given to the authors and publisher. Appropriate citations and bibliographic credits should be made for each use. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data 93-33114 National Park Service, Denver Technical Information Center Report NPS 428/100217 Cover Photo: View of Aspet looking northwest, Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site, Olmsted Center for Landscape Preservation (OCLP), August 2008. ii LIST OF FIGURES TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES IV FOREWORD VII ACKNOWLEDGMENTS IX INTRODUCTION 1 Purpose of This Report 1 Description of Study Area 1 Scope of Work and Methodology 2 Summary of Findings 3 CHAPTER ONE: RECENT HISTORY 9 Aspet, 1992–Present 9 Aspet Historical Images 17 CHAPTER TWO: EXISTING CONDITIONS 25 Narrative Description 25 Existing Condition Images 31 CHAPTER THREE: ANALYSIS AND EVALUATION 63 National Register Status and Statement of Significance 63 Historic Contexts for Aspet 67 Recommendations for Amending National Register Documents 88 Evaluation of Landscape Integrity 91 Analysis of Landscape Characteristics and Features 93 Table of Landscape Characteristics and Features 163 Analysis Context Images 182 REFERENCES 187 iii CULTURAL LANDSCAPE REPORT FOR ASPET, VOLUME II LIST OF FIGURES, TABLES, AND DRAWINGS LIST OF FIGURES INTRODUCTION 1. Locator map for Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site 6 RECENT HISTORY 2. Construction drawings of the new maintenance facility, 1997 17 3. Construction of the Shaw Memorial base, 1997 18 4. The newly renovated Bowling Green with the Shaw Monument 18 bronze cast, 1997 5. Project drawing of the trail between the visitor parking lot and the 19 visitor center, 2000 6. Trail between the parking lot and visitor center , 1996 20 7. Hedge trimming on scaffolding by the Caretaker’s Cottage, 1993 20 8. Horseshoe hedge at main entrance before replacement, 1996 21 9. Horseshoe hedge at Aspet’s main entry after replacement, 1996 21 10. Injections to control bronze birch borer in the birch allée, 1996 22 11. Reconstruction of the Pan Pool and fountain, 1996 22 EXISTING CONDITIONS 12. View east of the main house and Little Studio, 2009 31 13. View east of Saint Gaudens Road and carriage turnaround, 2009 31 14. View of Saint Gaudens Road and visitor parking lot, 2009 32 15. View of carriage turnaround and horseshoe hedge, 2009 32 16. View north of granite steps and brick entry walk to house, 2009 33 17. View north of brick entry walk, marble steps and house, 2009 33 18. View north of main house and honeylocust, 2009 34 19. View west of house terrace, balustrade and piazza, 2009 34 20. View south of Pan statue, upper garden and main house, 2009 35 21. View north of Little Studio and Pan bench, 2009 35 22. View west of Little Studio pool, 2009 36 23. View north of the flower garden, 2009 36 24. View southwest of the Pan pool and Mount Ascutney, 2009 37 25. View southwest of the flower garden and Mount Ascutney, 2009 37 26. View south of the Boy with Wine Skin statue, 2009 38 27. View southeast of the main house and upper flower garden, 2009 38 28. View north of the lower flower garden, 2009 39 29. View south of the brick steps and hedge at the lower garden, 2009 39 30. View east of the birch allée, 2009 40 iv LIST OF FIGURES 31. View southeast of the steps leading to the Adams Memorial, 2009 40 32. View southeast of the Adams Memorial, 2009 41 33. View east of the Shaw Memorial, 2009 41 34. View west of the Bowling Green, 2009 42 35. View west of the Stables, 2009 42 36. View west of the kitchen yard, 2009 43 37. View west of the cutting garden gate, 2009 43 38. View north of the east entry drive, 2009 44 39. View east of the Caretaker’s Cottage, 2009 44 40. View south of the Caretaker’s Cottage gate, 2009 45 41. View south of the Caretaker’s Garage, 2009 45 42. View east of the visitor center, 2009 46 43. View of the visitor center and Caretaker’s Cottage hedges, 2009 46 44. View northeast of the New Gallery complex, 2009 47 45. View south of the Farragut forecourt, 2009 47 46. View east of the Picture Gallery entrance, 2009 48 47. View north of the Atrium courtyard, 2009 48 48. View east of the Lincoln bust, 2009 49 49. View west of the Atrium courtyard and west doorway, 2009 49 50. View south from the Atrium courtyard to the forecourt, 2009 50 51. View east of the Farragut enclosure, 2009 50 52. View north of the trellis structure on the Farragut enclosure, 2009 51 53. View west across the lawn from the New Gallery Complex, 2009 51 54. View north of the Ravine Studio, 2009 52 55. View east of the root cellar, 2009 52 56. View south of the Blow-Me-Up Ravine Trail, 2009 53 57. View of the swimming hole, dam, and Blow-Me-Up Brook, 2008 53 58. View northwest of the Temple, 2009 54 59. View northeast of sand trap in the west meadow, 2008 54 60. View north of the visitor center woodland path, 2009 55 61. View east of the visitor parking lot, kiosk, and path, 2009 56 62. View northwest of steps from Saint Gaudens Road, 2009 56 ANALYSIS 63. “Loon Point,” the Joseph Linden Smith Garden, Dublin, New 182 Hampshire, c. 1902 64. “Northcôte,” the Stephen Parrish Garden, Cornish, New 183 Hampshire, c. 1898 65. Plan of “Faulkner Farm,” Charles Platt, Brookline, Massachusetts 184 66. “Faulkner Farm,” Charles Platt, Brookline, Massachusetts, c. 1902 185 67. “Chesterwood,” the Daniel Chester French Garden, Stockbridge, 186 Massachusetts, c. 1902 v CULTURAL LANDSCAPE REPORT FOR ASPET, VOLUME II LIST OF TABLES 1. Summary of Landscape Characteristics and Features 162 LIST OF DRAWINGS 1. Park Overview Map 7 2. Aspet Period Plan, 1950 23 3. Aspet, Existing Conditions, 2009 57 4. Aspet, Existing Conditions Detail 1, 2009 59 5. Aspet, Existing Conditions Detail 2, 2009 61 vi FOREWORD FOREWORD This second volume of the three-volume Cultural Landscape Report for Aspet, Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site provides the park with important information for our comprehensive landscape management effort. The analysis of Aspet’s resources documented in Volume I, Site History is included in this volume. The information provided in Volume I and this report, Volume II, provide the information needed to develop effective treatment strategies. This report will directly inform Volume III, Cultural Landscape Treatment Plan, which will present park managers with specific treatment actions that address the sustainable presentation of the historic scene at Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site. Thank you to all those who have contributed to this body of work that will help the park manage its significant landscape resources. BJ Dunn Superintendent Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site vii CULTURAL LANDSCAPE REPORT FOR ASPET, VOLUME II viii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The report was written by Lisa Nowak and Margie Coffin Brown, project manager, with assistance from Erica Max, Jan Haenraets, Joel Smith, and John W. Hammond. John Auwaerter assisted with information on the hedges. Bob Page, Director of the Olmsted Center was instrumental in the scoping and inception of this project and also provided comments on draft materials. The Olmsted Center for Landscape Preservation built upon the excellent draft prepared in 1994 by Pressley Associates and Cynthia Zaitzevsky for this volume. All chapters of their work were incorporated into this report, but notably the historic context chapter of the landscape analysis is authored almost exclusively by Pressley and Zaitzevsky. The successful completion of this report is due to the close collaboration between the project team and staff at Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site. Park Superintendent BJ Dunn provided guidance and support throughout the duration of the project. Thanks are also due to Gardener James Haaf and Natural Resource Manager Stephen Walasewicz for providing information on existing and historic site conditions and for their thorough review comments. Curator Henry Duffy, Facility Manager Mike Healy, and Chief of Visitor Services Gregory Schwarz participated in scoping meetings and reviewed drafts of the report.