Bulletin of Remarkable Trees Vol. 2 No. 9
Arboretum Expansion, Construction, and Change (From E. L. Kammerer’s point of view)
Reading through correspondence and journals written by my grandfather, I often come across details of new buildings, road expansions, and other Arboretum changes he observed over the decades of his career spent there. Many of them seem immutable now: I-88, the tollway which traverses the southern boundary of the Arboretum, lakes which seem to be at home in the landscape, various buildings comprising both visitor areas and staff workplaces, even the entrance gate off of Route 53. But through the many, many years that my grandfather was curator of collections, almost all of these developments popped up before his eyes.
Make sure to read to the end of this issue, where I’ll share a pretty hot take my grandpa had regarding a now-classic Arboretum feature. And if you haven’t done so yet, I’d really appreciate if you’d consider subscribing to receive future newsletters directly in your inbox!
The Arboretum Center (now the Administration and Research Center)
The creation of a dedicated research space was something my grandfather and his colleagues wanted desperately, and he wrote to his brother about the proposed addition often:
Mr Sterling Morton was out last Sat AM and I had quite a long talk with him in regard to the proposed research program. The trustees decided definitely to start the new addition to the building this fall. (June 17, 1954)
The Arb Trustees had their annual meeting on the 11th and approved plans to start the new building program immediately. The area to the south of the Adm Bldg has been denuded of plantings in preparation. There will be more offices, laboratories, and a range of greenhouses. (Nov 19, 1954)
After the construction had begun, however, he wrote (in a letter to his brother in June of 1955) about some frustrations he and Sterling Morton shared about the construction of the Administration Building:
Construction is going right along on the new wing to the Admn Building and no one could have a better vantage point then I. Excavation was completed last Saturday - and they’ve been working all week on footings. Mr. Sterling Morton was out yesterday afternoon - the first we’ve seen of him this year - and expressed disappointment over the failure of the architect to center the circular glass pavilion connecting the bldg with the addition - onto the hedge garden axis. I’ve been irked about this for some time - to no avail!
Based on my grandpa’s letters to his brother, the construction had a detrimental impact on the productivity of pretty much all of the Arboretum staff, independent of their excitement for the increased space and functionality of the new building:
You should see the Grand Canyon outside my south window. Excavation for the new building is expected to be completed by the weekend. It’s sure a deep hole. All the noise is anything but conducive to quiet thinking. (June 23, 1955)
Have hurried through my lunch so I can get a letter written to you before the steam drill starts working again. They’ve been using it the last two days to cut through the foundation of the Adm Bldg and the noise is both terrific and nerve wracking. It’s impossible to hear what anyone is saying - especially over the phone. I can see now why Mrs. Noser Is taking the afternoon off. It will be up to Walter and me to flip for the job of sitting in the general office. As far as the noise is concerned, it’s just as bad in one place as in another. (July 14, 1955)
There is still so much construction to be completed - I don’t see how things can ever be ready in time for the dedication a week from today. Three hundred and fifty people have been invited (the lecture room only accommodates 100) and I don’t know what we’ll do with them. Tea will be served in the rotunda. I told you, didn’t I, that the Adm Bldg is now known as the Arboretum Center? (Sept 20, 1956)
The new building, The Arboretum Center, was dedicated on September 27, 1956. My grandfather wrote to his brother about Sterling Morton’s absence from the event and subsequent visit to see the final construction:
Mr. Sterling Morton, who was unable to be present at the dedication ceremony because of illness, is out today with Mrs. M and Mrs. Zurcher - having his first look at the completed building. I haven’t seen him so I don’t know what his reactions were. (Oct 11, 1956)
My grandfather seems to anticipate a strong opinion on the new construction from Sterling Morton, which makes sense given their shared side-eye towards the misalignment of the glass pavilion!
There was a program amongst my grandpa’s things from the dedication of the Arboretum Center — outlining a reception, discussions of the Arboretum’s research goals, a talk from the Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s Director Dr. George S. Avery Jr., and a demonstration related to research on Dutch Elm Disease:
The expansion of the East-West Tollway between Chicago and the tri-cities (St. Charles, Geneva, and Batavia) to the west is one of the most extensive changes to befall the Arboretum over its history. My grandfather wrote to his brother throughout the process, describing ow it affected the topography of the Arboretum’s southern border:
We’re having toll road problems at the Arboretum - as the new road across the state (to the tri-cities) is to pass along either our northern or southern boundaries. It means a complete revision of our traffic plans + the possible reestablishment of some of our entrances. This section of DuPage Co will see some radical changes in the next few years. They’re already predicting a population of 24,000 in Wheaton by 1960. - Nov 19, 1954
Bids for the section of toll road traversing the Arboretum are to be bet on the 15th so there’s lots of activity around here. The Arboretum is expecting to sell a million+ yards of gravel for the construction. A new lake is planned for the excavation which will be almost directly opposite Walter’s house. When this is done and the highway (Rt 53) widened to a 200ft right of way, you’ll never recognize the place. - Feb 7, 1957
The lake he describes is Arbor Lake, dug during construction of the tollway and expansion of Route 53, providing gravel for the roadwork. It’s hard to imagine that the familiar Arboretum layout, location of lakes within its borders, and even the defining berms (constructed in the late 1980s) that separate plantings from the busy Tollway were not always there! My grandfather and his colleagues certainly witnessed an era of enormous change in the Arboretum’s size, shape, and scope.
Easily the most surprising opinion of my grandpa’s relating to a proposed new Arboretum feature was his take on the now-iconic Four Columns, standing guard at the eastern-most edge of the hedge garden. He wrote about the installation of the columns in a letter to his brother:
Did I tell you about the semi-wide marble columns we’re going to have at the upper termination of the Hedge Garden axis - and the reflecting pool (with jet of water) in the center of the rose garden? Sterling Morton’s idea. I’m afraid we’re in for a lot of change. We certainly miss Mrs. Cudahy’s excellent taste. (Nov 19, 1959)
Obviously, the prospect of enormous, gleaming columns towering over a landscape he helped design didn’t thrill my grandfather. Additionally, in a 1976 lunch and learn lecture from Clarence Godshalk, the Director Emeritus speaks to the previous chairman, Mrs. Cudahy’s, ambivalence towards the columns:
He [Sterling Morton] wanted them up there when she [Mrs. Cudahy] was chairman but she wouldn’t have them so he built them when he was chairman.
Despite all of the ambivalence at the time, I would venture a guess that those columns are now one of the most recognizable installations in the entire Arboretum!
Do you agree with my grandfather and his colleagues about the columns? Or do you think the sculpture enhances the hedge display? Be sure to let me know in the comments:
Thank you for subscribing! And if you’re not subscribed yet, you can do that right here. You can get newsletters for free, but there are also paid subscriptions that will offer you access to additional content (coming soon!)
If you have topics you’re interested to hear more about or specific trees you’re interested in, please feel free to let me know in the comments.
If you like what you’ve read so far, sharing Bulletin of Remarkable Trees with your friends would help a whole lot!
Great article! Really well done!
Any info and pictures of the previous visitors center? That was a wonderful set of buildings. Really miss them.