Object Details
- General
- "There is an austere elegance about a green garden; pink or yellow or red are frivolous except as accents, but the garden that appeals to the romantic, universal soul is the blue garden. That is why the Blue Garden of Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Curtiss James was the ultimate goal of so many Newport Pilgrims. A very stately garden it is with the iridescent quality which blue flowers that really are mauve and purple and grayish, rather than true, sharp blue, impart. Its irregular symmetry makes it difficult to describe without a ground plan. At the two far distant ends are colonnades with gray rocks and irregular green plantations beyond, and the lower end is a circle of matchless turf whose boundary is rock and shrubs. The upper part is a circle, too, formed by a rustic lattice of slender split branches over which grow Clematis Jackmanii, mauve Sweet-peas and other charming creepers, backed by Cedars and Pines. In the center are two pools fed by water that trickles from beneath the colonnade."
- "A thousand foot rose garden was blasted out of granite rock. A long grass allee originated by the reflecting pool, was planted with 5,000 roses of many varieties. The allee ascended several levels of stone walls and steps and climaxed under a high granite cliff, where a splendid stone and ironwork balustrade and imposing pergola were located. Mr. James died in 1942, all the roses were dug and sold and nature moved in to sow her seeds."
- "The Beacon Hill house was left unoccupied and in 1967 finally succumbed to vandalism and fire." The gardens have been restored by subsequent owners.
- Persons associated with the property include: Arthur Curtiss James (former owner, 1909-1940); Olmsted Brothers (landscape architects); John Greatorex (superintendent of grounds and landscape gardener); Harriet R. Foote (garden designer and rosarian); Peckham Brothers (contractors for rose garden); Hempstead of Boston (landscape contractors/superintendent); Edward Van Altena (lantern slide maker).
- Creator
- James, Arthur Curtiss
- James, Harriet Eddy [Hetty], 1868-1941
- Gardener
- Greatorex, John
- Rosarian
- Foote, Harriett Risley, 1863-
- Contractor
- Peckham Brothers
- Hempstead of Boston
- Lantern slide maker
- Van Altena, Edward
- Landscape architect
- Olmsted Brothers
- Creator
- Garden Club of New Haven
- Powell, Alan, M/Ms
- Hamilton, Samuel, Mrs.
- Collection Creator
- Sears, Thomas Warren, 1880-1966
- Sears & Wendell
- Olmsted Brothers
- Harvard University
- American Society of Landscape Architects
- Place
- Beacon Hill (Newport, Rhode Island)
- United States of America -- Rhode Island -- Newport County -- Newport
- Topic
- Gardens -- Rhode Island -- Newport
- Creator
- James, Arthur Curtiss
- James, Harriet Eddy [Hetty], 1868-1941
- Gardener
- Greatorex, John
- Rosarian
- Foote, Harriett Risley, 1863-
- Contractor
- Peckham Brothers
- Hempstead of Boston
- Lantern slide maker
- Van Altena, Edward
- Landscape architect
- Olmsted Brothers
- Creator
- Garden Club of New Haven
- Powell, Alan, M/Ms
- Hamilton, Samuel, Mrs.
- See more items in
- Thomas Warren Sears photograph collection
- Thomas Warren Sears photograph collection / Series 1: Photographic Images / United States / Rhode Island
- Custodial History
- The Garden Club of New Haven facilitated the submission of this garden's documentation.
- Archival Repository
- Archives of American Gardens
- Identifier
- AAG.SRS, File RI035
- Type
- Archival materials
- Collection Citation
- Smithsonian Institution, Archives of American Gardens, Thomas Warren Sears photograph 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 featured in Levee, Arleyn A. The Blue Garden: Recapturing an Iconic Newport Landscape. Newport: Redwood Library and Athenaeum, 2016. Garden featured in Griswold, Mac and Weller, Eleanor. Golden Age of American Gardens. New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 1991. Garden featured in Phelps, Harriet Jackson. Newport in Flower. Newport, RI: Preservation Society of Newport County, 1979, page 101-112.
- Scope and Contents
- The folder includes correspondence, articles and information sheet compiled by GCA representative.
- 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-1562707900944-1562707902153-4
