Object Details
- General
- Beauty without boundaries is the guiding principle for the more than 50 acre vacation estate. Since it was identified as one of the most beautiful country houses by Ladies Home Journal in 1912 and had gardens landscaped by John Charles Olmsted in 1905, the owners chose to restore rather than renovate when they purchased the property in 1971. The wooded shore of Lake Geneva with rockwork retaining walls transitions into an ornamentally landscaped estate. Drifts of hydrangea, hosta and buckeye at the gated entrance are succeeded by the original concrete driveway through woodland gardens with sugar maple, red oak, white oak, linden, boxwood, ground covers and perennial flowers that include daylilies, bleeding heart, phlox, and rugose roses. The formal drive circle at the house has a fountain in the center and a perimeter of flowering shrubs and variegated ivy topiaries. A grass terrace facing the lake features a rustic planted stone staircase. White roses and hydrangea are accented by a bell placed on an old tree stump. The children's garden has containers of vegetables, fruits, flowers and herbs with rustic wattle arches and furniture.
- An enclosed courtyard for the swimming pool between the main house and guest house has clipped yew hedges, ground covers and perennials, trumpet, clematis and wisteria vines, and potted citrus trees. Near stands of mature trees planted more than 100 years ago there is a grotto, a mound of soil and stones topped by a statue with a stone bench nearby. One lawn is kept sculpted into a labyrinth. There is a mineral spring on the property, which is said to be restorative, that flows into a fieldstone basin surrounded by a planted rockwork wall. The other formal gardens include a rose garden planted in parterres and enclosed by espaliered apple trees and an organic potager with vegetable, herb and cutting flower beds laid out geometrically on either side of a wide path of stabilized degenerate granite with more espaliered fruit trees on the surrounding wire fence and covering a pergola.
- Renovations were required for a family member with disablilites, including widened and level walkways with very gradual inclines, smooth stone patios and terraces with narrow joints, benches placed where there are good views of the lake, access to the house and swimming pool, and an elevator to the second floor inside the house. Trees in the woodland gardens were replaced as needed and tagged for future reference.
- Persons associated with the garden include: Mr. and Mrs. Adolphus Clay Bartlett (former owners, 1905-1930); Colonel and Mrs. William Marvin Spencer (former owners, 1930-1971); John Charles Olmsted (landscape architect, 1905); Howard Van Doren Shaw (architect, 1905); Bartlett Tree Experts (arborists, 2011); Mariani Landscape (landscape architect, 1980- ).
- The property was featured in "Ladies Home Journal" in 1909 when it was selected as one of the the twelve most beautiful homes in America.
- Former owner
- Bartlett, Adolphus Clay
- Bartlett, Adolphus Clay, Mrs.
- Spencer, William Marvin, Colonel, Mr.
- Spencer, William Marvin, Colonel, Mrs.
- Landscape architect
- Olmsted, John Charles, 1852-1920
- Architect
- Shaw, Howard Van Doren
- Provenance
- Lake Geneva Garden Club
- Arborist
- Bartlett Tree Experts
- Landscape architect
- Mariani Landscape
- Creator
- Olmsted Brothers
- Collection Creator
- Garden Club of America
- Place
- House in the Woods (Lake Geneva, Wisconsin)
- United States of America -- Wisconsin -- Walworth -- Lake Geneva
- Topic
- Gardens -- Wisconsin -- Lake Geneva
- Former owner
- Bartlett, Adolphus Clay
- Bartlett, Adolphus Clay, Mrs.
- Spencer, William Marvin, Colonel, Mr.
- Spencer, William Marvin, Colonel, Mrs.
- Landscape architect
- Olmsted, John Charles, 1852-1920
- Architect
- Shaw, Howard Van Doren
- Provenance
- Lake Geneva Garden Club
- Arborist
- Bartlett Tree Experts
- Landscape architect
- Mariani Landscape
- Creator
- Olmsted Brothers
- See more items in
- The Garden Club of America collection
- The Garden Club of America collection / Series 1: United States Gardens / Wisconsin
- Sponsor
- A project to describe images in this finding aid received Federal support from the Smithsonian Collections Care Initiative, administered by the National Collections Program.
- Custodial History
- The Lake Geneva Garden Club facilitated the submission of this garden's documentation.
- Archival Repository
- Archives of American Gardens
- Identifier
- AAG.GCA, File WI027
- Type
- Archival materials
- Digital images
- Collection Citation
- Smithsonian Institution, Archives of American Gardens, The Garden Club of America collection.
- Collection Rights
- Archives of American Gardens encourages the use of its archival materials for non-commercial, educational and personal use under the fair use provision of U.S. copyright law. Use or copyright restrictions may exist. It is incumbent upon the researcher to ascertain copyright status and assume responsibility for usage. All requests for duplication and use must be submitted in writing and approved by Archives of American Gardens. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.
- Bibliography
- This property is featured in "American Country House of Today," Volume 3, published by Architectural Book Publishing Company, 1915, p. 48. This property is featured in "House in the Woods" by Guise Shelton, 1924, plate 238.
- Genre/Form
- Digital images
- Scope and Contents
- The folder includes worksheets and articles about the house.
- Collection Restrictions
- Access to original archival materials by appointment only. Researcher must submit request for appointment in writing. Certain items may be restricted and not available to researchers. Please direct reference inquiries to the Archives of American Gardens: aag@si.edu.
- Record ID
- ebl-1643208220039-1643210188782-1
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