Bay City -- The Curtiss House Gardens
Object Details
sova.aag.gca_ref8575
- General
- The Curtiss House is an historic property built in the Queen Anne/Tudor Revival style at the end of the 19th century. Previous owners of this approximately one-half acre corner lot had landscaped around the house only. Now all the grounds are filled with color and texture including inner gardens accessible through two gates in wrought iron fencing salvaged from a convent and three garden areas outside the fencing. In the inner gardens textures play off each other in curving beds accented with rocks, some of which were bartered for beer or scavenged near Lake Superior. Fethe private gardens, features include a three tiered working fountain planted as a container, a patio made from salvaged brick, and a hidden contemplation garden next to the carriage house on the property that has a wooden swing and a salvaged bronze wall fountain at the terminus. Two marble benches were built from salvage, and a wall built from broken concrete is covered with ivy. Wooden fencing adds privacy and along with the plant material reduces the traffic noise.
- The gardens outside the fences are visible to the public and designed to enhance but not obscure the house. One area of iron fencing alongside the driveway is draped in five varieties of roses as well as iris, clematis and yew. The front yard and two side yards are planted with islands of trees with lower tiers of pachysandra, hosta and forest ferns from the upper peninsula of Michigan. Stained cement blocks were used for two container gardens that are planted with vegetables, herbs and annuals on a rotation schedule.
- The Center Avenue Historic District of Bay City, Michigan was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. The Curtiss House Gardens were included in the Bay City Garden Club's garden walk in 2010.
- Persons associated with the garden include: Charles B. Curtiss I, Charles B. Curtiss II, Charles B. Curtiss III (former owners, 1892-1971); William and Toni Holtzapple (former owners, 1971-1987); Ruth Koerber and John Kleekamp (former owners, 1987-1996); Craig and Maureen Johnston (former owners, 1996-2003); William H. Miller (architect, 1891-92).
- Former owner
- Holtzapple, William
- Kleekamp, John
- Johnston, Craig
- Curtiss, Charles B. I
- Koerber, Ruth
- Johnston, Maureen
- Holtzapple, Toni
- Curtiss, Charles B. III
- Curtiss, Charles B. II
- Creator
- Miller, William H.
- Collection Creator
- Garden Club of America
- Place
- The Curtiss House Gardens (Bay City, Michigan)
- United States of America -- Michigan -- Bay -- Bay City
- Topic
- Gardens -- Michigan -- Bay City
- Former owner
- Holtzapple, William
- Kleekamp, John
- Johnston, Craig
- Curtiss, Charles B. I
- Koerber, Ruth
- Johnston, Maureen
- Holtzapple, Toni
- Curtiss, Charles B. III
- Curtiss, Charles B. II
- Creator
- Miller, William H.
- See more items in
- The Garden Club of America collection
- The Garden Club of America collection / Series 1: United States Garden Images / Michigan
- 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.
- Custodial History
- The Bay City Garden Club facilitated the submission of this garden's documentation.
- Archival Repository
- Archives of American Gardens
- Identifier
- AAG.GCA, File MI084
- 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
- This property is featured on www.mybaycity.com
- Scope and Contents
- The folder includes worksheets web links to articles and historic images.
- 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.
- Related Materials
- The Curtiss House Gardens related holdings consist of 1 folder (24 digital images; 5 reference prints)
- Historical photographs of the site are held by the current and previous owners as well as the Bay City Historical Society Museum.
AAG.GCA_ref8575
Large EAD
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/kb6688f5c55-ceae-4702-a602-e3a16248c67c
AAG.GCA
AAG
- Record ID
- ebl-1643208220039-1643210181210-0
There are restrictions for re-using this image. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page .
1 result(s)
-
The Garden Club of America collection
sova.aag.gca
- Creator
- Garden Club of America
- Names
- New York Flower Show
- Topic
- Gardens -- France
- Gardens -- Italy
- Gardens -- Japan
- Gardens -- Mexico
- Flower shows
- Gardening -- United States -- societies, etc
- Gardens -- England
- Landscape architecture
- Gardens -- United States
- Gardens -- Spain
- Gardens -- Scotland
- Creator
- Garden Club of America
- See more items in
- The Garden Club of America collection
- 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.
- Summary
- This collection contains over 37,000 35mm slides, 3,000 glass lantern slides and garden files that may include descriptive information, photocopied articles (from journals, newspapers, or books), planting lists, correspondence, brochures, landscape plans and drawings. Garden files were compiled by Garden Club of America (GCA) members for most of the gardens included in the collection. Some gardens have been photographed over the course of several decades; others only have images from a single point in time. In addition to images of American gardens, there are glass lantern slides of the New York Flower Show (1941-1951) and trips that GCA members took to other countries, including Mexico (1937), Italy, Spain, Japan (1935), France (1936), England (1929), and Scotland. A number of the slides are copies of historic images from outside repositories including horticultural and historical societies or from horticultural books and publications. The GCA made a concerted effort in the mid-1980s to acquire these images in order to increase its documentation of American garden history. Because of copyright considerations, use of these particular images may be restricted.
- Accruals note
- The GCA continues to document American gardens and submit images and documentation to the Archives of American Gardens. Further accruals are expected.
- Biographical/Historical note
- The Garden Club of America was established in 1913 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, when the Garden Club of Philadelphia and eleven other garden clubs met to create a national garden club. Its purpose is to foster the knowledge and love of gardening and to restore and protect the quality of the environment through educational programs and gardening and conservation efforts. The GCA was incorporated in Delaware in 1923, with its headquarters established in New York City. Today, local clubs are organized under twelve regional zones. The GCA continues its tradition of hosting flower shows and publishing material related to gardening in the United States. The GCA's glass lantern slides were used by The GCA for presentations and lectures about notable gardens throughout the United States dating back to colonial times. An effort was made in the late 1980s, in preparation of the 75th anniversary of the Garden Club of America's founding, to collect the disbursed slides. These slides were to eventually form the Slide Library of Notable American Parks and Gardens. The informational value of this collection is extensive since a number of images of the more than 4,500 gardens represented show garden designs that have changed over time or no longer exist. While the majority of images document a range of designed upper and upper-middle class gardens throughout the U.S., the scope of the collection is expanding as volunteers photograph and document contemporary gardens including community and vernacular gardens. The gardens illustrate the design work of dozens of landscape architects including Marian Coffin, Beatrix Farrand, Lawrence Halprin, Hare & Hare, Umberto Innocenti, Gertrude Jekyll, Jens Jensen, Warren Manning, the Olmsted Brothers, Charles Platt, Ellen Biddle Shipman, and Fletcher Steele. Because of their proximity to the gardens, works of notable architects and sculptors may also be featured in the images.
- Extent
- 37000 Slides (photographs) (35mm slides)
- 33 Linear feet ((garden files))
- 3,000 Lantern slides
- Date
- circa 1920-present
- Custodial History note
- The GCA's Slide Library of Notable American Parks and Gardens was donated to the Smithsonian Institution in 1992; this became the core collection of the Archives of American Gardens.
- Archival Repository
- Archives of American Gardens
- Identifier
- AAG.GCA
- Type
- Collection descriptions
- Archival materials
- Slides (photographs)
- Lantern slides
- Plans (drawings)
- Brochures
- Articles
- Correspondence
- Clippings
- Citation
- Smithsonian Institution, Archives of American Gardens, The Garden Club of America 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.
- Genre/Form
- Plans (drawings)
- Brochures
- Articles
- Correspondence
- Clippings
- Lantern slides
- Slides (photographs)
- 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.
AAG.GCALarge EADhttps://n2t.net/ark:/65665/kb617385372-1028-4cb7-b07d-04fea2e51c47AAG.GCAAAG- Record ID
- ebl-1562776092361-1562776095300-0