The Lord and Schryver Conservancy announced today that the Gaiety Hollow garden has been accepted to the National Register of Historic Places…the perfect Christmas present for the garden and its many supporters. 

The nomination was written by board member and L&S archivist Ross Sutherland…with help from the SHPO office here in Salem…

“It is perhaps the best example of their life’s work, a place where they could play out their design principles freely, unfettered by clients’ wishes,” said Bobbie Dolp, president of the Lord and Schryver Conservancy, which has spent 15 years reinvigorating the history and gardens of Lord and Schryver. “The garden draws on classical garden design traditions but also has a distinctive Pacific Northwest flair, showcasing plants suited to the region.”

“The scale and quality of Lord and Schryver’s work at Gaiety Hollow is of particular significance for today’s garden visitors who are looking for garden design and plants suited to their lives,” added Carlo Balistrieri, the Garden Conservancy’s vice president of preservation. “The Garden Conservancy is pleased to be working with the Lord and Schryver Conservancy to develop Gaiety Hollow’s potential as a resource for the region.”

Lord and Schryver established the firm in 1929, a time when very few landscape architects in Oregon were able to sustain a private practice, which Lord and Schryver, nonetheless, did for 40 years. They established a varied practice, encompassing everything from gardens to large civic projects. In 1932, they moved to the site where architect Clarence Smith designed new offices and living quarters for them. Lord and Schryver designed the “home garden” itself, which enabled them to both showcase their work and experiment with new design ideas and planting schemes.

Lord and Schryver met on a tour of European gardens in 1927, a tour for alumni of Lowthorpe School.  Both Lord and Schryver were alumae but attended the school a few years apart so did not meet until the trip…and here they are in Spain in 1927…where maybe the dialog was started…

Ownership of the property is being transferred to the conservancy in June as the money for the purchase has been raised, but there is still LOTS to do.  Keep Gaiety Hollow in mind this week as you write your year-end checks.  Local, beautiful, historic…Salem’s own.  Merry Christmas!