Object Details
- General
- Naumkeag was built in 1885 for Joseph Hodges Choate by Stanford White of McKim, Mead & White fame. The initial landscape plan was carried out by Nathaniel Barrett in the 1880s. Barrett fitted the house and gardens to the steep site by creating two broad lawn terraces. Beginning in 1926, Mabel Choate, daughter of Joseph Choate, engaged landscape architect Fletcher Steele to update the gardens. The Afternoon Garden and Chinese-style garden were created. They completed the work in 1956. The resulting landscape is widely viewed to have some of the most interesting residential design elements of the 20th Century, epitomized by Steele's well-known "Blue Steps" from 1938, a series of cascading Renaissance stairs with distinctive railings and water features set against a birch-planted hillside. The gardens are continually under restoration. The Evergreen Garden from 1948 was restored beginning in 2002 (its marble steps were rebuilt and the pea gravel allee planted with new arborvitae). Restoration of the Afternoon Garden occured in 2007. The property was given to the Trustees of Reservations in 1959, was made a National Historic Landmark in 2007, and is open to the public.
- Persons associated with the garden include: Joseph Hodges Choate (former owner, 1885); Mabel Choate (former owner); the Trustees of Reservations (owners, 1959-present); Stanford White (architect, 1885); Nathan Franklin Barrett (landscape architect, 1880s); Fletcher Steele (landscape architect, 1926-1956); Marian Cruger Coffin (landscape architect); and Percival Gallagher (landscape architect).
- Former owner
- Choate, Mabel, 1870-1958
- Choate, Joseph Hodges, 1832-1917
- Architect
- White, Stanford, 1853-1906
- Landscape architect
- Steele, Fletcher, 1885-1971
- Barrett, Nathan Franklin
- Gallagher, Percival
- Coffin, Marian Cruger, 1876-1957
- Provenance
- Lenox Garden Club
- Collection Creator
- Garden Club of America
- Place
- Naumkeag (Stockbridge, Massachusetts)
- United States of America -- Massachusetts -- Berkshire County -- Stockbridge
- Topic
- Gardens -- Massachusetts -- Stockbridge
- Formal gardens
- Chinese gardens
- Former owner
- Choate, Mabel, 1870-1958
- Choate, Joseph Hodges, 1832-1917
- Architect
- White, Stanford, 1853-1906
- Landscape architect
- Steele, Fletcher, 1885-1971
- Barrett, Nathan Franklin
- Gallagher, Percival
- Coffin, Marian Cruger, 1876-1957
- Provenance
- Lenox Garden Club
- See more items in
- The Garden Club of America collection
- The Garden Club of America collection / Series 1: United States Gardens / Massachusetts
- 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.
- Archival Repository
- Archives of American Gardens
- Identifier
- AAG.GCA, File MA015
- 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.
- Bibliography
- Garden has been featured in Robin Karson, Fletcher Steele: Landscape Architect (Univ. of Massachusetts Press: Amherst, 2003).
- Scope and Contents
- The folders include worksheets, garden plans, brochures, and photocopies of articles about the garden.
- 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-1643208220039-1643210181072-2
