Object Details
- General
- Located on approximately 100 acres, Windwood Garden was originally part of a 90-plus acre property that dates back to 1879 when R.T. Crane purchased it. During the early 1900s, the property was operated as the Crane's family compound with fruit orchards, vegetable gardens, a bakery laundry building and four greenhouses. The property was subdivided in 1933 to Maxwell House and A. F. Gartz. The western side of the divided property was purchased in 1948 by the current owner from A. F. Gartz and included the original house, vegetable garden, orchard and large expanses of lawn with a few flowers or shrubs. When the property was purchase, the property was very basic and showed signs of neglect. Brian Bader, arborist consultant, and Scott Byron, landscape architect, assisted the owners in creating a plan to conserve and transform the property into a small arboretum and then to further develop vistas from many different angles across the entire property.
- The property includes woodlands and meadows populated with native spring wildflowers and large beds of daffodils. The wooded areas have many varieties of oaks, beech, maple, hemlock, walnut, hickory, lindens and butternut trees. A white okay tree is marked with a plaque by a University of Wisconsin arborist as the largeest white oka in Southeast Wisconsin. Decorative sculptures, benches, bridges, fountains, ponds and trails with plantings of trees, shrubs, perennials and wild grasses are also featured on the property.
- In a 2014 garden tour handout for the Garden Club of America, the following areas were described as distinct areas of the home and garden: the manor House, the Country House, the Green Carriage House, the Caretaker's House, teh Stable, the Woodland Cottage, the White Oak Savannah, the Vegetable Garden, the Cooler House, the Pond, the Boat Deck, West Pier and East Pier.
- Persons associated with the property include: R. T. Crane (former owner, 1879-1933); A. F. Gartz (former owner, 1933-1948); The Griffith family (owner, 1948- ), Scott Byron (landscape architect, 1985-present); Brian Bader (arborist consultant, University of Wisconsin, Madison Arboretum, 1996-1998).
- Former owner
- Crane, R. T.
- Gartz, A. F.
- Landscape architect
- Byron, Scott
- Arborist
- Bader, Brian
- Provenance
- Lake Geneva Garden Club
- Collection Creator
- Garden Club of America
- Place
- Windwood Garden (Lake Geneva, Wisconsin)
- United States of America -- Wisconsin -- Walworth County -- Lake Geneva
- Topic
- Gardens -- Wisconsin -- Lake Geneva
- Former owner
- Crane, R. T.
- Gartz, A. F.
- Landscape architect
- Byron, Scott
- Arborist
- Bader, Brian
- Provenance
- Lake Geneva Garden Club
- 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 Chapter Garden Club facilitated the submission of this garden's documentation.
- Archival Repository
- Archives of American Gardens
- Identifier
- AAG.GCA, File WI038
- Type
- Archival materials
- 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.
- Scope and Contents
- The folder includes a worksheet, historical pictures and information regarding previous owners, historical timeline of property, planting lists, planting plans, and landscape design.
- 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-1643208220039-1643210188793-0
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