Episode 06: Beatrix Farrand
Beatrix Cadwalader Jones Farrand was the first woman to practice landscape architecture in the United States. She was born on June 19, 1872 in New York City. Her family on both sides were very wealthy and she was in the upper echelon of society. Her family were gardeners five generations back, so Beatrix grew up in the garden. In 1893 she studied under Charles Sprague Sargent at the Arnold Arboretum in Boston. In 1896, she opened a design office out of her home in New York City and started getting commissions. She was a founding member of the American Society of Landscape Architects in 1899, and was the only woman of the 11 founders. She designed and stayed involved with many college campuses over the years; Princeton University, Yale University, University of Chicago, Oberlin College, Vassar College, Hamilton College, Cal Tech, and Occidental College. She also did several private estates such as Dumbarton Oaks in DC, John D. Rockefeller Jr.’s mansion in Maine, and even the east and west gardens of the White House. She married Max Farrand in 1913, they had no children. They lived in California for 14 years for Max’s work, and then retired in Maine at Beatrix’s family estate Reef Point. She stayed in Maine and continued gardening until her death on February 28, 1959 at the age of 87.
Caraytid: Wendy J. Miller, FASLA
Wendy J. Miller is the current president of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), of which she is a fellow. She is a registered landscape architect and focuses on urban design and transportation. She has a consulting firm, Wendy Miller Landscape Architecture, that provides expertise in corridor design solutions, public involvement, and planning strategies to prepare communities for new and disruptive transportation technologies on the horizon.
References
Lewis, Anna M. “Beatrix Farrand.” Women of Steel and Stone: 22 Inspirational Architects, Engineers, and Landscape Designers, 167–75.United States: Chicago Review Press, 2017.
“Beatrix Farrand’s American Landscapes | PBS.” PBS.Org, uploaded by Insignia Films, 18 June 2020, www.pbs.org/show/beatrix-farrands-american-landscapes.
“Wendy J. Miller, FASLA | LAND.” American Society of Landscape Architects, 20 Feb. 2018, www.asla.org/land/LandArticle.aspx?id=52780.
Images:
Waltuch, Karen. Beatrix Farrand. Ms., Mar. 15, 2019. https://msmagazine.com/2019/03/15/her-land-is-our-land-how-beatrix-farrand-changed-the-landscape-of-the-nation/
Davis, Janet. Princeton Graduate Campus. The Paintbox Garden, June 16, 2017. https://www.thepaintboxgarden.com/princeton-universitys-grand-trees-gardens/
Davis, Janet. Dumbarton Oaks. The Paintbox Garden, June 28, 2017. https://www.thepaintboxgarden.com/blissing-out-at-dumbarton-oaks/
Todisco, Patrice. Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Garden. Landscape Notes, Nov. 13, 2017. https://landscapenotes.com/2017/11/13/abby-aldrich-rockefeller-garden-seal-harbor-maine/
Nukaya-Petralia, Pablo. Occidental College Campus. The Occidental, Apr. 9, 2019. https://www.theoccidentalnews.com/features/2019/04/09/occidentals-architecture-and-the-creation-of-an-experience/2897538
