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Lord and Schryver landscape architectural records

 Collection
Identifier: Coll 098

Scope and Contents

The Lord & Schryver landscape architectural records collection contains landscaping plans and drawings, correspondence, office files, subject files, photographs, brief biographical sketches, and notes relating to Lord’s and Schryver’s work as landscape architects.

The project drawings series contains Lord & Schryver landscape architecture plans. Where the grounds were planned in conjunction with the construction of a residence, architectural blueprints can also be found within the drawing file. Some projects consist of only one drawing, while more elaborate projects contain several series of drawings (e.g., construction plans for walls, steps, benches, fences, and arbors).

The correspondence series contains project correspondence, nursery correspondence, and general correspondence related to Lord’s and Schryver’s work as landscape architects.

Billing files represent labor costs for gardeners, supervising costs, and plant material orders. Plant materials for several projects may be listed together on one bill.

The organizations and committees series details various community and historical projects in which Lord and Schryver were involved, including those for the Salem Art Association, Horticulture Group, McLoughlin Memorial, Oregon Roadside Council, Portland Garden Club, Salem Parks Planning Commission, Salem Tree Commission, and Oregon Society of Landscape Architects. Materials of note in this series relate to the historic renovation of the grounds for the Bush House in Salem, as well as the Minthorn House in Newberg (the boyhood home of Herbert Hoover).

The lecture and published works series is comprised of lecture transcripts and notes, related correspondence, radio scripts, articles, and Edith Schryver’s teaching files from Oregon State College (now Oregon State University). Lecture topics include plant materials, landscape design philosophies, as well as gardens in foreign countries. Radio scripts for the "Home Garden Hour" that detail a day in the life of a landscape architect, as well as articles for the Oregonian geared toward home gardeners can also be found in this series.

The research materials series contains subject files, plant and garden clippings, plant lists, collected print material, notebooks, and nursery catalogs. Subject files, arranged alphabetically by subject, chiefly contain printed material collected by Lord and Schryver. While a large portion of the subject matter relates to architecture and landscaping, other interests of both women are reflected. Notebooks contain personal observations regarding travels, gardening, family visits, and notes dispersing selected items to close friends.

The biographical material series contains brief biographical sketches outlining Lord’s and Schryver’s education, training, and organizational activity relative to their profession; company awards, certificates, and licenses; and the collected projects of New York landscape architect Ellen Shipman.

The photographs and slides series includes lantern slides, negatives, albums, slides, snapshots, and other printed materials. Photos and slides of various trips taken by Lord and Schryver to the Orient, South Africa, South America, England, France, Italy, Spain, and Mexico are included. Subjects are primarily gardens and church architecture.

Dates

  • 1929-1970

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open to the public.

Collection must be used in Special Collections and University Archives Reading Room.

Collection or parts of collection may be stored offsite. Please contact Special Collections and University Archives in advance of your visit to allow for transportation time.

Physical Access

Glass plate negatives and lantern slides are restricted due to the fragility of the format. All decisions regarding use will be at the discretion of the curator for visual materials.

Conditions Governing Use

Property rights reside with Special Collections and University Archives, University of Oregon Libraries. Copyright resides with the creators of the documents or their heirs. All requests for permission to publish collection materials must be submitted to Special Collections and University Archives. The reader must also obtain permission of the copyright holder.

Biographical / Historical

Elizabeth Lord (1887-1976) and Edith Schryver (1901-1984) founded the Lord and Schryver landscape architecture firm in 1929. Working from Lord’s family home in Salem, Oregon, the pair designed gardens for locations throughout Oregon and Washington.

Elizabeth Lord (1887 November 12-1976 October 09) was born to parents William Paine Lord and Juliette Montague Lord. Her father was a former Oregon governor and US diplomat; her mother, involved in many civic activities, is credited with establishing the Salem Floral Society (now Salem Garden Club), the first garden club in Oregon. Elizabeth Lord received her education in various Oregon public schools as well as Buenos Aires, where her father held a diplomatic post. Her mother’s devotion to gardening and extensive travels to the Orient, Europe, and South America influenced Lord’s decision to make gardening a profession. Elizabeth Lord entered Lowthorpe School of Landscape Architecture (Groton, Massachusetts) in 1926.

Edith “Nina” Schryver (1901 March 20-1984 May 20) was born in Kingston, New York to parents George J. Schryver and Eleanor Young Schryver. Pursuing her early interest in gardening, Schryver attended Lowthorpe School of Landscape Architecture during summers before completing high school. Schryver studied general art for one year at Brooklyn’s Pratt Institute before enrolling full-time at Lowthorpe in 1920. While studying at Lowthorpe, Schryver worked part-time in the Boston offices for landscape architects Harold Hill Blossom, Elizabeth Pattee, and Elizabeth Leonard Strang. As part of her scholarship, Schryver spent the summer of 1922 in Cornish, New Hampshire with prominent New York landscape architect Ellen Shipman. Upon graduation from Lowthorpe, Schryver spent the next five years in Ellen Shipman’s prestigious New York firm.

Although Elizabeth Lord and Edith Schryver were both graduates of Lowthorpe, they did not meet until touring the gardens and churches of Europe. Discovery of similar tastes and philosophy in garden design resulted in the decision to form their own business. Schryver left the employ of Ellen Shipman to return with Lord to Salem, Oregon where the pair established themselves as the first firm of professional women landscape architects on the West Coast.

Their practice focused on garden design for private residences, although they also designed the grounds for Reed College, College of Puget Sound, Salem’s parks, several Salem schools, a variety of city- and state-owned public buildings, and two churches. Schryver created and developed design and construction plans while Lord concentrated on plant composition. Designs incorporating natural settings and existing trees were used wherever possible; plant composition was such that a succession of bloom and year-round interest prevailed. Several gardens designed by Lord and Schryver can be found in the National Register of Historic Places.

Extent

27.5 linear feet (135 containers) : 46 record storage boxes, 89 oversize folders

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

Elizabeth Lord (1887-1976) and Edith Schryver (1901-1984) founded the Lord and Schryver landscape architecture firm in 1929 in Salem, Oregon. The Lord and Schryver landscape architectural records collection contains landscaping plans and drawings, correspondence, office files, subject files, photographs, brief biographical sketches, and notes relating to Lord’s and Schryver’s work as landscape architects.

Arrangement

The Lord & Schryver landscape architectural records collection is arranged in eight series: 1. Project drawings, 2. Correspondence, 3. Billing files, 4. Organizations and committees, 5. Lectures and published works, 6. Research materials, 7. Biographical material, and 8. Photographs and slides.

Series 2. Correspondence is arranged in three subseries: 2.1. Project correspondence, 2.2. Nursery correspondence, and 2.3. General correspondence.

Series 3. Billing files is arranged in four subseries: 3.1. Bills receivable, 3.2. Orders and worksheets, 3.3. Time books, and 3.4. Bills paid.

Series 5. Lectures and published works is arranged in four subseries: 5.1. Lectures, 5.2. Radio scripts, 5.3. Oregonian article series, and 5.4. Oregon State Agricultural College teaching files.

Subseries 5.1. Lectures is further subdivided into three sub-subseries: 5.1.1. Notes and transcripts, 5.1.2. Correspondence, and 5.1.3. Reviews.

Series 6. Research materials is arranged in six subseries: 6.1. Subject files, 6.2. Plant and garden clippings, 6.3. Plant lists, 6.4. Collected print material and clippings, 6.5. Notebooks, and 6.6. Catalogs.

Series 7. Biographical material is arranged in three subseries: 7.1. Personal material, 7.2. Awards, certificates, and licenses, and 7.3. Collected projects.

Existence and Location of Copies

Selected items are available online in the Lord & Schryver landscape architectural records, 1929-1970 in Oregon Digital.

Processing Information

Collection processed by Linda Hodgin and Vida Germano, 2004. Revisions completed by Liliya K. Benz and Alexandra M. Bisio, 2021.

This finding aid may be updated periodically to account for new acquisitions to the collection and/or revisions in arrangement and description.

Title
Guide to the Lord and Schryver landscape architectural records
Status
Complete Description
Author
Finding aid prepared by Linda Hodgin and Vida Germano. Revisions completed by Liliya K. Benz and Alexandra M. Bisio.
Date
2004, 2021
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
Finding aid written in English.
Sponsor
Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities. This project was made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services through the Library Services and Technology Act, administered by the State Library of Oregon.

Repository Details

Part of the University of Oregon Libraries, Special Collections and University Archives Repository

Contact:
1299 University of Oregon
Eugene OR 97403-1299 USA