A historic landscape is defined as a work that has significance as a design or work of art; an association with a designer, gardener, or landscape architect of note; a historical association with a significant person, trend, or event in landscape gardening or landscape architecture; and/or a significant relationship to the theory or practice of landscape gardening or landscape architecture.
Ohio Landscape Inventory
The Ohio Historic Landscape Survey was created to identify and record Ohio's significant designed historic landscapes, work toward developing a greater appreciation of these landscapes in the context of Ohio's cultural heritage, and determine which ones are important and worthy of preservation.
The idea of implementing the Ohio Historic Landscapes Survey began in 1984 when the Ohio Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) contacted the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) about developing a statewide inventory of landscapes as part of a national effort to begin systematically identifying significant designed landscapes, particularly the works of Frederick Law Olmsted and his successors.
The emphasis on recording Olmsted's works was initially spearheaded by the National Association of Olmsted Parks. This effort coincided with legislation introduced in Congress by Ohio Representative John Seiberling that would authorize the Secretary of the Interior to begin documenting Olmsted's works. Partially in response to Mr. Seiberling's proposed legislation, the Ohio Chapter of the ASLA, through the efforts of Professor Noel Dorsey, furnished SHPO with a list of over 200 historic landscapes in Ohio that may have been designed by Olmsted and his successors. This list became the basis of the newly formed Ohio Historic Landscapes Survey.
Rather than limit the survey exclusively to the works of Olmsted, the ASLA and SHPO decided to expand the survey to include the works of all landscape designers, both professional and amateur. SHPO and the Ohio Chapter of the ASLA have begun to coordinate efforts with individuals and organizations across the state in completing the landscapes inventory.
Recording a Historic Landscape
Recording
Field Work
Narrative
Research
Documentation
The recording of a historic landscape includes a description and history of the property with dates of design; names of owners, landscape architects, designers, gardeners, and administrators; identification of construction technologies, methods, and plant materials; landscape style; existing and previous uses with the dates of use identified; and the acreage of the original tract and any subsequent additions or reductions. Additional information may be important including the use of local, unusual, or exotic plant materials; the innovative use of new construction materials or technologies; and the relationship between the property and others that may be nearby that were designed by the same individual or firm or owned by the same family or organization. Although a landscape need not retain all the characteristic features of its primary design, it should retain enough of the essential features to make its historic character clearly recognizable.
Conducting a detailed investigation of the landscape through site visits (potentially through various seasons) is necessary to identify and record the present appearance and function of the landscape and to determine or locate landscape features that may add understanding to early uses, plantings, grading, construction materials, and techniques. Since vegetation may obscure walls, paths, important views and vistas, and other significant features, winter is often the best time for detailed investigations.
A narrative description of the present appearance and function of a historic landscape should include identification, location, and physical description of characteristic features that may include the following:
- existing landform
- land uses
- circulation system of roads, paths, trails, etc.
- buildings such as dormitories, hospitals, houses, and barns contained within the landscape
- vegetation by botanical name and common name with caliper for measuring trees and heights for shrubs
- landscape dividers such as walls and fences
- structures such as bridges, gazebos, and mausoleums
- site furnishings and small-scale elements such as benches, planters, and urns
- bodies of water such as pools, fountains, lakes, streams, and cascades
- lighting including actual fixtures such as streetlights and lanterns as well as the use of both natural and artificial lighting as design elements (i.e. intensity, color)
- signs delineating entrances, street names, and other features
- spatial relationships and orientations such as symmetry, asymmetry, and axial alignment
- views and vistas into and out of the property
Many landscape structures are individually important in their own right and should be separately recorded on an Ohio Historic Inventory form. Some examples might include bridges, gazebos, mausoleums, boulevard lamps, and gatehouses.
Historical research should include investigations of extant drawings, specifications, and plant lists prepared by the original and subsequent designers if such documents are available. For some properties, it may be possible to locate historic photographs, illustrations and descriptions in journals, newspapers, and other publications. An owner's, designer's, or gardener's diary or minutes, or proceedings for institutions or governmental projects, may provide useful information, as might ledgers or nursery catalogs. Identifying original sources for outdoor furnishings and hardware may provide important clues for establishing an approximate date for the landscape.
Previous studies, including management reports and vegetative inventories, if available may also be useful. Interviews with previous owners, descendants of owners, neighbors, designers, gardeners, contractors, or others involved with the history, design, or management of the property are usually valuable and may turn up other primary and secondary sources of material about the landscape. Investigations such as these described above, in addition to the necessary fieldwork, can help a researcher to determine if a landscape was built and planted as designed.
There are two levels of documentation for inventorying historic landscapes in Ohio. The Ohio Historic Landscapes Survey form and the ASLA survey form. The Ohio Historic Landscapes Survey form is a single-page questionnaire designed for use by interested individuals who may not have had formal training in landscape architecture. This form is being used to briefly document the location, date, and type of historic landscape in Ohio. Once the landscape has been located, a more intensive inventory can be conducted using the ASLA Inventory form.
The ASLA form is a four-page questionnaire used nationally for recording historic landscapes. Persons filling out this form should have some knowledge of landscape architecture, architectural history, or art history. They should also be familiar with the major persons, events, and trends associated with landscape gardening and landscape architecture and the basic chronology of landscape development in the United States.