On the history of the Gardens

In his Oct. 23 e-mail to the Duke community, President Richard Brodhead reminds us that Duke "was born on the eve of the Great Depression and began its rise in the midst of this country's deepest economic crisis." Indeed, it is fairly common knowledge that Duke's West Campus was built between 1927 and 1932, straddling the 1929 stock market crash of the Great Depression. What is often ignored, however, is that the Sarah P. Duke Gardens-what President Keith Brodie called, "the Chapel's Proper Compliment"-was born during similar economic misfortunes.

What makes the story of the gardens so interesting is that neither James B. Duke (who originally came up with the idea for West Campus) nor William P. Few, (the president of Duke at the time who helped oversee the execution of Duke's idea) had ever included plans for a garden on campus. In fact, though Duke did have a fondness for gardening, he apparently also had a great liking for large sprays and jets of water. His original idea was to have large fountains and jets of water cascading down terraces into a lake in the middle of the ravine in the area. But, in light of the financial situation at that time, funds were deemed too limited and those plans were scrapped. Yet just a few short years later, amidst the same ecnonomic climate, the gardens were built.

It turns out that the gardens were the brainchild of a neurosurgeon at Duke's Medical Center, Frederick M. Hanes. Hanes loved irises and wanted the University to plant a large iris garden in the ravine, which at the time was unsightly and filled with debris. With the support of Hugo Blomquist, Duke's first botanist, discussions for a formal garden-not an iris garden, as that was deemed too monotonous-began, allowing Hanes to move forward and hire a landscape architect. The economy, however, was still deemed to be too poor for such a large endeavor. But Hanes persisted, and persuaded Sarah P. Duke to donate $20,000 in her name for a "flower garden." Though not contributing entirely enough to cover the cost, as the widow of Ben Duke, Sarah had enough clout to persuade the Board of Trustees to support the endeavor, and in 1934, the Sarah P. Duke Gardens were born. This original garden was located on what is now the south lawn of the gardens, near Flowers Dr., and consisted solely of flower beds. However, due to its location and heavy rain, it soon flooded, ripping up the beds and covering the flowers with sand.

Hanes saw his dream of a garden slipping by the wayside. The economy was still weak, and he knew that he had to get another large private donation for the garden to be rebuilt properly. Sarah P. Duke had already passed away by 1936. Armed with plans drawn up by the prominent female landscape architect Ellen Shipman, Hanes sought out her daughter, Mary Duke Biddle, and convinced her to fund the project in her mother's honor. Under construction in 1937, this garden featured the circular Rose Garden and Azalea Walk on the way in, the pergola and the Terrace Gardens the University has come to be known for. The Gardens opened formally two years later, in 1939, and were a big hit. From then on, the Gardens have grown immensely. The Blomquist Garden of Native Plants was opened in 1968, and the Culberson Asiatic Arboretum was added slightly later, in the early 80s. The dam and ponds on the north side of the Gardens were added around the same time the Asiatic Arboretum was, as a way to solve the issue of flooding on the Terraces and south lawn.

Today, the Gardens are well-endowed, has its own staff and is often referred to as one of the finest public gardens in the United States. The Gardens-which would have been seen as something extra-were built when funds were tight, perhaps demonstrating that private donations and clout go a long way. Hanes certainly knew what he was doing when he got the Dukes involved. But I think this story also lends us some comfort-for even in the worst of economic times, life can still thrive, and beauty can still be celebrated.

Note: All information in the above article was obtained from the Duke University Archives, and specifically, much was found in Robert F. Durden's book, Duke Gardens Through the Ages.

Megan Neureither is a Trinity senior. Her column runs every other Monday.