Lowthorpe School of Architecture in Groton, Massachusetts

Groton, Massachusetts

Groton is a town located in northwestern Middlesex County, Massachusetts. The population was 10,646 at the 2010 census. It is home to two noted prep schools: Groton School, founded in 1884, and Lawrence Academy at Groton, founded in 1793. The historic town hosts the National Shepley Hill Horse...

 was founded in 1901 for women to be trained in landscape architecture

Landscape architecture

Landscape architecture is the design of outdoor and public spaces to achieve environmental, socio-behavioral, or aesthetic outcomes. It involves the systematic investigation of existing social, ecological, and geological conditions and processes in the landscape, and the design of interventions...

 and horticulture

Horticulture

Horticulture is the industry and science of plant cultivation including the process of preparing soil for the planting of seeds, tubers, or cuttings. Horticulturists work and conduct research in the disciplines of plant propagation and cultivation, crop production, plant breeding and genetic...

: the college was one of the first in the world to open the profession to women. By the 1920s it had 12 acres (48,562.3 m²) of land with greenhouses and gardens. It was still active in the 1930s.

Ellen Shipman (named in 1933 by the magazine House & Garden

House & Garden (magazine)

House & Garden was an American shelter magazine published by Condé Nast Publications that focused on interior design, entertaining, and gardening....

as the "Dean of women landscape architects") in a 40-year career reportedly would only hire graduates from Lowthorpe School.