Albert Davis Taylor
Encyclopedia
Albert Davis Taylor (1883–1951) was an American
landscape architect
and author, notable for his many gardens and his promotion of garden shows. He designed parks and other public works, subdivisions and private estates, primarily in Ohio.
Taylor was born in Carlisle, Massachusetts to Nathaniel A. and Ellen F. (Davis) Taylor. He received an A.B. from Boston College in 1905 and an M.L.A. from the College of Agriculture at Cornell University in 1906, where he taught until 1908. He then joined the office of Warren H. Manning
, where he was influenced by Manning’s informal and naturalistic approach to landscape design as he worked on such projects as Stan Hywet Hall
in Akron.
In 1914 Taylor established his own practice in Cleveland
, eventually opening a second office in Florida. His firm provided landscape design for the Van Sweringens’ Daisy Hill Estate in Cleveland, J.J. Emery’s Peterloon Estate in Cincinnati, the H.H. Timken Estate in Canton, and Julius Fleischmann’s Winding Creek Farm. The office also designed the Avondale subdivision in Akron and the Rookwood subdivision in Cincinnati. During the Depression
, Taylor participated in a number of CWA
projects. The following is a partial list of public works on which his firm worked:
Taylor helped found the landscape architecture program at Ohio State University and served as a non-resident professor in the program from 1916 to 1926. Notable among Taylor's many publications was his 1921 book, The Complete Garden. During the New Deal
, Taylor was a consultant for the U.S. Forest Service, conducting a needs and requirements survey of the national forests in 1936. Increasing public use of national forests made it necessary to reevaluate the standard of landscape design throughout the system in an effort to preserve the natural aspects of the forest, while accommodating their use. Taylor's papers (1918-1942) are archived at the Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
landscape architect
Landscape architect
A landscape architect is a person involved in the planning, design and sometimes direction of a landscape, garden, or distinct space. The professional practice is known as landscape architecture....
and author, notable for his many gardens and his promotion of garden shows. He designed parks and other public works, subdivisions and private estates, primarily in Ohio.
Taylor was born in Carlisle, Massachusetts to Nathaniel A. and Ellen F. (Davis) Taylor. He received an A.B. from Boston College in 1905 and an M.L.A. from the College of Agriculture at Cornell University in 1906, where he taught until 1908. He then joined the office of Warren H. Manning
Warren H. Manning
Warren Henry Manning was an influential American landscape designer and promoter of the informal and naturalistic “wild garden” approach to garden design...
, where he was influenced by Manning’s informal and naturalistic approach to landscape design as he worked on such projects as Stan Hywet Hall
Stan Hywet Hall and Gardens
Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens is a notable country estate, with gardens, located at 714 North Portage Path in Akron, Ohio. It ranks seventh on the list of largest houses in the United States....
in Akron.
In 1914 Taylor established his own practice in Cleveland
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
, eventually opening a second office in Florida. His firm provided landscape design for the Van Sweringens’ Daisy Hill Estate in Cleveland, J.J. Emery’s Peterloon Estate in Cincinnati, the H.H. Timken Estate in Canton, and Julius Fleischmann’s Winding Creek Farm. The office also designed the Avondale subdivision in Akron and the Rookwood subdivision in Cincinnati. During the Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, Taylor participated in a number of CWA
Civil Works Administration
The Civil Works Administration was established by the New Deal during the Great Depression to create manual labor jobs for millions of unemployed. The jobs were merely temporary, for the duration of the hard winter. Harry L. Hopkins was put in charge of the organization. President Franklin D...
projects. The following is a partial list of public works on which his firm worked:
- Alms ParkAlms ParkThe Frederick H. Alms Memorial Park is a Cincinnati park in the community of Mt. Lookout/Columbia-Tusculum, most often called "Alms Park" for short, owned and operated by the Cincinnati Park Board. The land was originally owned by Nicholas Longworth, once the wealthiest man in Cincinnati and...
, Cincinnati, Ohio - Ault ParkAult ParkAult Park is the fourth-largest park in Cincinnati at 223.949 acres , owned and operated by the Cincinnati Park Board. It lies in the Mount Lookout neighborhood on the city's east side. The park sports a soccer field, playground, and an impressive flower garden, first designed by George Kessler and...
, Cincinnati, Ohio - Baldwin Filtration Plant Reservoir, Cleveland, Ohio
- Boys Town, NebraskaBoys Town, NebraskaBoys Town is a village in Douglas County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 818 at the 2000 census. Boys Town is a suburb of Omaha.The village of Boys Town was established as the headquarters of the Boys Town organization, also known as "Father Flanagan's Boys' Home", founded by Father...
- Cumberland Park, Cleveland Heights, Ohio
- Mt. Echo Park, Cincinnati, Ohio
- Forest Hill Park, Cleveland Heights and East Cleveland, Ohio
- Marine Hospitals, Cleveland, Ohio, Baltimore, Maryland and New Orleans, Louisiana
- The PentagonThe PentagonThe Pentagon is the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense, located in Arlington County, Virginia. As a symbol of the U.S. military, "the Pentagon" is often used metonymically to refer to the Department of Defense rather than the building itself.Designed by the American architect...
, Virginia
Taylor helped found the landscape architecture program at Ohio State University and served as a non-resident professor in the program from 1916 to 1926. Notable among Taylor's many publications was his 1921 book, The Complete Garden. During the New Deal
New Deal
The New Deal was a series of economic programs implemented in the United States between 1933 and 1936. They were passed by the U.S. Congress during the first term of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The programs were Roosevelt's responses to the Great Depression, and focused on what historians call...
, Taylor was a consultant for the U.S. Forest Service, conducting a needs and requirements survey of the national forests in 1936. Increasing public use of national forests made it necessary to reevaluate the standard of landscape design throughout the system in an effort to preserve the natural aspects of the forest, while accommodating their use. Taylor's papers (1918-1942) are archived at the Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
.