Books

At the turn of the twentieth century, many landscape architects developed approaches to design that celebrated the native midwestern landscape. In this illustrated volume, thirteen historians have contributed essays that illuminate their biographies and the important design and conservation contributions made by these innovators.

Parks, cemeteries, estates, and recreation areas throughout the region were created by individuals intrigued by the prairies, lakes, and native plants of the Midwest: Adolph Strauch introduced the revolutionary “lawn plan” at Cincinnati’s Spring Grove Cemetery; William Le Baron Jenney created the West Parks in Chicago as an armature of order and respite from the burgeoning industrial city; George Kessler’s image of the City Beautiful combined European and American influences in Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, St. Louis, Denver, Cincinnati, Indianapolis, and elsewhere. Other major design practitioners in this collection include: Frederick Law Olmsted, Olmsted Brothers, O. C. Simonds, H. W. S. Cleveland, Warren H. Manning, Elbert Peets, and Annette Hoyt Flanders. Midwestern Landscape Architecture also details the contributions of those who championed conservation and ecological awareness in an effort to promote scenic resources, such as Jens Jensen, Wilhelm Miller, and Genevieve Gillette.