Skip to main content

Search

My Visit
Donate
Home Smithsonian Institution

Site Navigation

  • Visit
    • Museums and Zoo
    • Entry and Guidelines
    • Maps and Brochures
    • Dine and Shop
    • Accessibility
    • Visiting with Kids
    • Group Visits
      • Group Sales
  • What's On
    • Exhibitions
      • Current
      • Upcoming
      • Past
    • Online Events
    • All Events
    • IMAX & Planetarium
  • Explore
    • - Art & Design
    • - History & Culture
    • - Science & Nature
    • - Innovation & Tech
    • Collections
      • Open Access
      • Snapshot
    • Research Resources
      • Libraries
      • Archives
        • Smithsonian Institution Archives
        • Air and Space Museum
        • Anacostia Community Museum
        • American Art Museum
        • Archives of American Art
        • Archives of American Gardens
        • American History Museum
        • American Indian Museum
        • Asian Art Museum Archives
        • Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, African Art
        • Hirshhorn Archive
        • National Anthropological Archives
        • National Portrait Gallery
        • Ralph Rinzler Archives, Folklife
        • Libraries' Special Collections
    • Podcasts
    • Stories
  • Learn
    • For Caregivers
    • For Educators
      • Art & Design Resources
      • Science & Nature Resources
      • Social Studies & Civics Resources
      • STEAM Learning Resources
      • Professional Development
      • Events for Educators
      • Field Trips
    • For Students
    • For Academics
    • For Lifelong Learners
  • Support Us
    • Become a Member
    • Renew Membership
    • Make a Gift
    • Volunteer
      • Smithsonian Call Center
      • Ambassador Program
      • Museum Information Desk
      • Docent Programs
      • Behind-the-Scenes
      • Digital Volunteers
      • Participatory Science
  • About
    • Our Organization
      • Board of Regents
        • Members
        • Committees
        • Reading Room
        • Bylaws, Policies and Procedures
        • Schedules and Agendas
        • Meeting Minutes
        • Actions
        • Webcasts
        • Contact
      • Museums and Zoo
      • Research Centers
      • Cultural Centers
      • Education Centers
      • General Counsel
        • Legal History
        • Internships
        • Records Requests
          • Reading Room
        • Tort Claim
        • Subpoenas & Testimonies
        • Events
      • Office of Human Resources
        • Employee Benefits
        • How to Apply
        • Job Opportunities
        • Job Seekers with Disabilities
        • Frequently Asked Questions
        • SI Civil Program
        • Contact Us
      • Office of Equal Opportunity
        • EEO Complaint Process
        • Individuals with Disabilities
        • Small Business Program
          • Doing Business with Us
          • Contracting Opportunities
          • Additional Resources
        • Special Emphasis Program
      • Sponsored Projects
        • Policies
          • Combating Trafficking in Persons
          • Animal Care and Use
          • Human Research
        • Reports
        • Internships
    • Our Leadership
    • Reports and Plans
      • Annual Reports
      • Metrics Dashboard
        • Dashboard Home
        • Virtual Smithsonian
        • Public Engagement
        • National Collections
        • Research
        • People & Operations
      • Strategic Plan
    • Newsdesk
      • News Releases
      • Media Contacts
      • Photos and Video
      • Media Kits
      • Fact Sheets
      • Visitor Stats
      • Secretary and Admin Bios
      • Filming Requests

Rochester -- George Eastman House & Gardens

Smithsonian Gardens

Object Details

General
The gardens at the George Eastman house have been partially restored to the original circa 1920 designs of landscape architect Alling S. DeForest (1875-1957) and architect and theatrical designer Claude Bragdon (1866-1946), with work beginning in 1984 following a grant of $16,000 from the Rochester Garden Club. The original eight gardens rooms had been reduced to four: a terrace garden, library garden, rock garden and sunken west garden. The formal terrace garden has boxwood-edged flower beds planted with more than 90 varieties of perennials, with reconstructed brick paths between the beds. The library garden, replacing the historic cutting garden, contains double rows of arborvitae lined with tulip bulbs, trees, shrubs, ground cover plants and vines. The rock garden features scalloped borders of dolomite rocks and a grape arbor with seating beneath. The sunken west garden, originally designed by Bragdon and influenced by the gardens at Hestercombe in England designed by Sir Edward Lutyens and Gertrude Jekyll, has formal flower beds and a wisteria-covered garden house. Trees and shrubs have been planted in front of the house, placed so that they will not obscure the house and 70 feet of open lawn. About 300 historic varieties of perennials, bulbs, ground covers, trees and shrubs have been planted. George Eastman (July 12, 1854-March 14, 1932) purchased 8.5 acres in 1902 and worked with landscape architect Alling S. DeForest to install elegant floral gardens as well as a working farm on the property. Eastman purchased four more acres in 1916. The Georgian Revival house and colonnaded pergola were designed by architect J. Foster Warner. During Eastman's lifetime, known as the "Country Place Era", there were five greenhouses including a palm house that supplied fresh flowers and orchids, a rose garden, orchard, sizable vegetable and berry gardens, a poultry yard, stables, a barn, and pastures. Eastman bequeathed the property to the University of Rochester as a home for the college president, and that led to the simplification of the gardens, including replacing brickwork walkways with turf or concrete. A sunken lily pool was filled in and covered by a rectangular reflecting pool. The remaining farm elements such as the vegetable garden and livestock facilities were removed or converted. When the Eastman House was transformed into a museum of photography beginning in 1949 the greenhouses and peony garden on the west side were replaced by a parking lot, with the remaining lawn bordered on two sides with white flowers. The museum's West Garden was dedicated as a memorial to Virginia Pike Judson, past president of the Rochester Garden Club in 1985. At that The Eastman House gardens and grounds can be toured, with guided tours offered from mid-May through September. The property was designated a National Historic Landmark on November 13, 1966 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Persons associated with the garden include George Eastman (former owner, 1902-1947), University of Rochester (former owner, 1947), George Eastman House, Inc. (former owner, 1947- ), Alling Stephen DeForest (landscape architect, 1902-1921), Claude Bragdon (landscape architect of West Garden, 1916-1917), J. Foster Warner (architect, 1902), William Rutherford Mead (architect, 1902), Katherine Wilson Rahn (landscape architect, restoration, 1985).
Former owner
Eastman, George
Architect
Mead, William Rutherford, 1846-1928
Warner, John Foster
Landscape architect
DeForest, Alling Stephen
Landscape designer
Bragdon, Claude Fayette, 1866-1946
Rahn, Katherine Wilson
Landscape restorer
Rahn, Katherine Wilson
Collection Collector
Marchand, Richard
Former owner
Eastman, George
Architect
Mead, William Rutherford, 1846-1928
Warner, John Foster
Landscape architect
DeForest, Alling Stephen
Landscape designer
Bragdon, Claude Fayette, 1866-1946
Rahn, Katherine Wilson
Landscape restorer
Rahn, Katherine Wilson
See more items in
Richard Marchand historical postcard collection (35mm slides)
Richard Marchand historical postcard collection (35mm slides) / New York
Sponsor
A project to describe images in this finding aid in this collection received Federal support from the Smithsonian Collections Care Initiative, administered by the National Collections Program.
Extent
3 Slides (photographs)
Archival Repository
Archives of American Gardens
Identifier
AAG.MAR, File NY589
Type
Archival materials
Slides (photographs)
Collection Citation
Smithsonian Institution, Archives of American Gardens, Richard Marchand historical postcard 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: [email protected].
Bibliography
Garden featured in Country Life in America, September 1910, p. 524-7.Garden featured in Garden Design Magazine, Jan/Feb. 1991.Garden featured in American Country Houses for Today, 1915, p. 322.
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: [email protected].
Related link
Record ID
ebl-1585920647092-1585920647341-1
Metadata Usage
CC0
GUID
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/kb6ed8d31e2-590d-4655-99e1-68bb493a9a16

Related Content

  • Richard Marchand historical postcard collection (35mm slides)

Rochester -- Eastman House & Gardens, George
View Slideshow
There are restrictions for re-using this image. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page .
International media Interoperability Framework
IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and media viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. Visit the IIIF page to learn more.
View manifest View in Mirador Viewer

Footer logo

Link to homepage

Footer navigation

  • Contact Us
  • Job Opportunities
  • Get Involved
  • Inspector General
  • Records Requests
  • Accessibility
  • EEO & Small Business
  • Shop Online
  • Host Your Event
  • Press Room
  • Privacy
  • Terms of Use

Social media links

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
  • LinkedIn

Get the latest news from the Smithsonian

Sign up for Smithsonian e-news

Get the latest news from the Smithsonian

Email powered by BlackBaud (Privacy Policy, Terms of Use)
CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.
Back to Top