Planning the Gardens
Planning the Cultural Gardens required detailed architectural drawings to be brought to life. As I begin the final push toward the Gardens book, my question: How do I interpret such idealized documents? First among my efforts will be to evaluate the plant materials. How do they reflect a specific identity, landscape architecture of the period (and place–a public park), or are they characteristic to the climate and environs of Cleveland? But, doing this seems easier said than done. Also, I will evaluate these against other images of the space–which I have taken or have been taken of my students (as well as the rehabilitation plans.) For example, I always had imagined the at the “Jugoslav” Garden (now the Slovenian Garden) would have had hedges to create contemplative “rooms” in the space on the right. In fact, this space was planned to be an open lawn, to see all the statuary together. That, of course, would change the meanings of the space.
As I move the Cultural Gardens site into wordpress over the next few months, and commence my writing–seeking the broader national and international context for the Cleveland Cultural Gardens and their various elements, I’ll post these brief considerations about the work.
Plan of the Yugoslav Garden in 1937.