The GCA Opposes Smithsonian Proposal to Destroy Haupt Garden

May 11, 2016

In comments submitted on May 11, 2016, The Garden Club of America joins a growing number of organizations opposed to the Smithsonian’s proposal to destroy the Enid A. Haupt Garden in the heart of the nation’s capital.  

Noting that the Haupt Garden is a joyous introduction to Victorian and other garden design, the GCA calls on Smithsonian planners to undertake further study before moving forward 1) to assess and address the period of significance for this garden; 2) to revisit whether the garden should indeed be included on the National Register of Historic Places and 3) and to honor the terms of Mrs. Haupt’s gift. Because the Smithsonian depends upon the generosity of donors, remaining true to donor intent should be an essential consideration. Read the full comments below.

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Comments of The Garden Club of America:

We are writing with considerable concern regarding the Smithsonian Institution’s plan to demolish the beloved Enid A. Haupt Garden adjoining the Castle.

The Haupt Garden is a favorite “outdoor museum” and center of activity on the Smithsonian grounds.  It is a remarkable and joyous introduction to Victorian and other garden design.  Thousands of visitors to this garden and the three museums which surround it enjoy its unique rooftop garden and outdoor complex singled out by the American Institute of Architects in 1987 as a masterful blending of old and new.

While the Haupt garden was completed in 1987, it is noteworthy that Messrs. Carlhian and Collins designed it, not as a new garden, but as a renewal and enhancement of the Victorian garden installed in 1976 in celebration of the nation’s bicentennial.  Indeed, records indicate that the Haupt Garden was created to respond to a major public outcry over the Smithsonian’s announcement that it planned to destroy the Victorian garden then on site.

We are concerned as well that the Master Plan, with many positive internal features, appears to engage the landscape as an afterthought.  The report analyzing and supporting the Smithsonian’s billion dollar South Mall Campus plan fails to adequately and fully address the postmodernist significance of the Haupt garden or to ascertain its broader cultural significance.  We believe that further study is necessary 1) to assess and address the period of significance for this garden; 2) to revisit whether the garden should indeed be included on the National Register of Historic Places; and 3) to honor the terms of Mrs. Haupt’s gift. Because the Smithsonian depends upon the generosity of donors, remaining true to donor intent should be an essential consideration.

We raise these issues as long-time friends and supporters of the Smithsonian.  The Archives of American Gardens constitute a major horticultural collection whose core images and slides were made possible by a gift from The Garden Club of America in 1992.  The Pollinator Garden, adjoining the National Museum of Natural History, was created in 1995 and significantly expanded in 2000, thanks to funding from the GCA and the Smithsonian Women’s Committee in conjunction with the Smithsonian’s Horticulture Services Division.  Many of our members serve on the Women’s Committee and in other professional and volunteer positions.   In 2004, our Annual Meeting brought delegates to the Haupt Garden to see it and other outdoor displays.  The 200 member clubs of the GCA across the country—with nearly 18,000 members—are amongst the millions of local, national, and international visitors attracted to the Smithsonian’s world class indoor and outdoor collections.  We will be attending the Smithsonian’s exhibit opening in 2017 entitled Cultivating American’s Gardens and focusing on the work of garden clubs around the country.

At a time when the American people are rightly focusing on a healthy and green environment, it would be ironic indeed for the Smithsonian to destroy a peaceful and beautiful green space and replace it with a cold space of steel and lights.  We understand that institutional needs must change over time.  However, we believe that the Smithsonian’s proposed Master Plan for the South Mall Campus would wrongly eliminate a unique and historic garden--yes, an “outdoor museum”--in the heart of the nation’s capital.

Thank you for your consideration.

On behalf of the Executive Board of The Garden Club of America,

Anne P. Copenhaver

President, The Garden Club of America

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