United States of America -- Illinois -- Lake County -- Lake Forest
Scope and Contents:
The folder includes worksheets, photocopies and printouts of information about the site, and additional information.
General:
Dating to the late 19th century, Walden was the estate of Cyrus H. McCormick and his wife Harriet Hammond McCormick. Inspired by Henry David Thoreau's Walden, its namesake was a center for the reform-era initiatives of its owners. Not the least was Harriet's interest in promoting calming natural surroundings and gardens (she was one of the founders of both the Lake Forest Garden Club and the Garden Club of America). Design work for the grounds, which included extensive woodlands, a ravine, bluffs overlooking Lake Michigan, and a working farm, was primarily the responsibility of Warren H. Manning, while over the years other contributions were made by such designers as Louise Shelton and Ralph E. Griswold. The house, which has been demolished, was designed in 1896 by Jarvis Hunt, with subsequent remodellings by Hugh Mackie Gordon Garden, Charles Allerton Coolidge, and Russell S. Walcott. The entire estate was subdivided after World War II, although isolated elements remain.
An aerial view of the estate and its neighbor, Villa Turicum (IL079), may be found at www.villaturicum.com.
Persons associated with the property include Cyrus H. (Cyrus Hall) McCormick and Harriet Hammond McCormick (former owners, ca. 1895-1936); Warren H. Manning (landscape architect, ca. 1895); Louise Shelton (landscape architect), Ralph E. Griswold (landscape architect); Jarvis Hunt (architect, 1896); Hugh Mackie Gordon Garden (architect); Charles Allerton Coolidge (architect); and Russell S. Walcott (architect).
Related Materials:
Walden related holdings consist of 1 folder (1 35 mm. slide (photograph); 8 lantern slides)
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.
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.
Smithsonian Institution, Archives of American Gardens, The Garden Club of America collection.
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.
