Last updated: June 5, 2024
Place
Cranbrook Christ Church
Olmsted Archives
Quick Facts
Between 1926 and 1928, Olmsted Brothers were working to landscape the site of Christ Church at Cranbrook in Birmingham, Michigan. Because of prior commitments, neither John Charles nor Frederick Jr. was able to work at the site, so work was left to firm member Percival Gallagher.
After his first visit to Birmingham, Gallagher wrote that ““We are building a church and rectory in the Bloomfield Hills district. We have laid out a complete plan showing roads, walks, walls, etc. but we are anxious to get some idea of what planting would be suitable for this locality. We wonder if you would care to act as a consultant on this problem and perhaps furnish us with a planting plan and let us know what your fee would be for such service”.
From 1926 to 1927, Gallagher worked through his site plan so that grading work on the foundation of the church could begin. At the end of 1927, Gallagher was working on the adjustment of plantings, needed after it was decided to widen the road leading to the Church.
Limited to selecting and ordering plants, and supervising the execution of their plans, Olmsted Brothers’ role at Cranbrook ended over a fee dispute. Another reason behind the limited scope of the Olmsted involvement is because the Church was, and remains to this day, a separate entity, physically separated by roads, from the rest of Cranbrook.
Source: "Cranbrook," The Cultural Landscape Foundation
For more information and primary resources, please visit:
Olmsted Research Guide Online
Olmsted Archives on Flickr
After his first visit to Birmingham, Gallagher wrote that ““We are building a church and rectory in the Bloomfield Hills district. We have laid out a complete plan showing roads, walks, walls, etc. but we are anxious to get some idea of what planting would be suitable for this locality. We wonder if you would care to act as a consultant on this problem and perhaps furnish us with a planting plan and let us know what your fee would be for such service”.
From 1926 to 1927, Gallagher worked through his site plan so that grading work on the foundation of the church could begin. At the end of 1927, Gallagher was working on the adjustment of plantings, needed after it was decided to widen the road leading to the Church.
Limited to selecting and ordering plants, and supervising the execution of their plans, Olmsted Brothers’ role at Cranbrook ended over a fee dispute. Another reason behind the limited scope of the Olmsted involvement is because the Church was, and remains to this day, a separate entity, physically separated by roads, from the rest of Cranbrook.
Source: "Cranbrook," The Cultural Landscape Foundation
For more information and primary resources, please visit:
Olmsted Research Guide Online
Olmsted Archives on Flickr