The Landscape Luminary: Celebrating Wolcott Andrews
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast:
May 1, 1867
On this day, Wolcott Andrews, a name that would become synonymous with the verdant vistas of New York City and the quaint charm of Wiscasset, Maine, drew his first breath.
Imagine, dear readers, a young Andrews strolling through the hallowed halls of Harvard, his mind abloom with visions of perfectly manicured lawns and strategically placed shrubberies.
In 1930, he emerged, master's degree in hand, ready to paint the world green.
New York City's Parks Department became his canvas, and what a masterpiece he would create! Fate, in its infinite wisdom, saw fit to partner Andrews with none other than Frederick Law Olmsted Jr. Together, they sculpted Fort Tryon Park in upper Manhattan, a verdant jewel that would cradle the medieval marvel known as the Cloisters.
But Andrews was not content with mere parks.
No, this horticultural virtuoso set his sights on grander schemes.
For more than two decades, he held court as the senior landscape architect for the New York City Housing Authority, retiring in 1966 with a legacy as lush as the spaces he created.
One can only imagine the soirées he must have attended as president of the New York chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects and of the American Federation of Fine Arts of New York City. Picture the conversations, the debates over the merits of boxwood versus privet, the impassioned discussions about the perfect placement of a weeping willow!
But it was in Wiscasset, Maine's prettiest town (and don't you dare argue otherwise), that Andrews truly flourished. Here, he found a kindred spirit in Marguerite Spilsbury Rafter, a woman with royal Costa Rican blood flowing through her veins.
Can you envision it, fellow gardeners?
Two passionate preservationists, strolling through the charming streets of Wiscasset, plotting to safeguard its beauty for generations to come. In 1977, their dreams bore fruit as sweet as any orchard's harvest. Wiscasset was registered in the National Register, and the Wiscasset Historic District was born.
So, the next time you find yourself in New York City, perhaps picnicking in Fort Tryon Park or marveling at the Cloisters, spare a thought for Wolcott Andrews.
And if your travels take you to the picturesque town of Wiscasset, Maine, take a moment to appreciate the preserved beauty around you.
For in every well-planned green space, in every historic district saved from the ravenous maw of progress, we find echoes of Andrews' vision.
He may have been a landscape architect, but his true talent lay in cultivating beauty, nurturing communities, and planting seeds of preservation that continue to bloom long after his passing.
As we tend our own gardens, large or small, let us draw inspiration from Andrews' legacy. For in shaping the land, we shape our communities, our cities, and perhaps even our very souls.
