Springside
Springside is one of the last known local landscape designs by Andrew Jackson
Downing, the leader in mid-nineteenth century landscape architecture in the Hudson
River Valley and the eastern United States as a whole.
A. J. Downing was born in Newburgh, New York in 1815 and left an indelible mark on
the study of landscape theory influencing countless landscape designers such as
Calvert Vaux, his one-time protégé and partner, and A. J. Davis who went on to
design estates and parks throughout the Hudson Valley and the northeast. Tragically,
Downing lost his life in a steamboat accident at only 37 years old. Due to his
premature death, the number of works that he designed and built was severely
limited. Adding to this, the few designs that he did complete have almost all been
lost to redevelopment and changing taste.
Springside was the summer retreat of Matthew Vassar, a brewer and businessman,
best known for starting Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New York. Vassar originally
bought Springside as undeveloped farmland to create a scenic cemetery which was a
popular theme during that time, to create a place close to urban areas where people
could visit the dead, picnic and enjoy themselves. However, after nobody bought
plots Vassar decided to use his 44-acre property as a summer retreat. In 1851
Vassar commissioned Downing to design a landscape and a home on the site. What
Downing developed was a picturesque landscape blending his design into a natural
setting.
The first feature that brought the design together was a network of winding roads
and carriage drives that connect the house and working farm and offer different
views at every turn. The second striking feature was using the natural springs on site
to feed underground pipes leading to ponds, fountains and ponds in which Downing
used statues, little islands and fountains to accent the water. The spring which gave
the property its name originated under a statue of a watchdog.
Although Vassar had a main house commissioned by Downing, it was never built.
Instead, Vassar adapted the gardener’s cottage to his residence. The cottages as
well as other main structures were built in the “… Gothic Revival style, with
asymmetrical elevations, board-and-batten siding, pointy gables, steeply sloped
roofs, and ornamental chimneys” (Borgeson, 2). Other buildings included a cow barn,
carriage house, dairy room, a large conservatory, log cabin and a deer shelter. There
was also a pagoda and a summerhouse resembling a gazebo- type structure.
Another feature of the landscape was the kitchen gardens and orchard located near
the cottage. The last and perhaps most striking feature were small mounds and hills
naturally situated in the landscape, where items of interest were placed such as a
miniature version of Stonehenge. Framing Downing’s twenty acres of designed
landscape remained a sizeable portion of working farmland and natural woods that
added to the natural setting of Springside.
Though Downing died before Springside was entirely constructed, he had largely
completed the designs for the grounds and the buildings prior. In fact, he was
working on other projects just before his death. It is widely accepted that Vaux’s
role was that of a draftsman for the architectural ideas of Downing, who was not
trained as a draftsman, and Alexander Jacskson Davis, though involved with the
project, is not credited with Springside’s architecture. As such, Springside is
considered one of Downing’s legacies. Vassar continued throughout his life to modify
the property and develop the farm. Most of the details of how Springside looked are
derived from four paintings commissioned by Vassar in 1852.
After Vassar’s death in 1868, the property was broken up as different sections of the
land were sold off. However, Springside was recognized as a National Historic
Landmark in 1969 and was still largely intact. Unfortunately, a substantial portion of
Downing’s design has been lost since then to neglect, vandalism, and fire. The only
structure that remains intact is the Gate House, which is now a private residence and
has been restored to its original paint color with a new wood shingle roof.
In 1982, despite being recognized as a historical landmark, a developer seeking to
build condominiums bought the land. At this point a preservation movement began
to save and protect the remains of the last Downing landscape design. Eventually a
compromise was reached and while condominiums were built on the farmland, a
majority of Downing’s design was saved for preservation and future study.
Bibliography
Borgeson, Hannah. “About Springside” http://home.att.net/~gasiorcj/springsd.htm;
Retrieved 4/28/04
“Springside” http://www.pojonews.com/enjoy/stories/0105962.htm;
Retrieved 4/28/04,
Copyright 2002, Poughkeepsie Journal.
“Springside”
http://www.pojonews.com/enjoy/stories/0916961.htm; Retrieved 4/28/04,
Copyright 2002, Poughkeepsie Journal.
Further Reading
Major, Judith K. To Live in the New World: A. J. Downing and American Landscape
Gardening. (MIT Press 1997)
Schuyler, David.Apostle of Taste: Andrew Jackson Downing 1815-1852. (Johns
Hopkins University Press 1996)
Matthew Vassar’s Springside in Prophet with Honor: The Career of Andrew Jackson
Downing 1815-1852. (Dumbarton Oaks Research Library 1989)
Springside Restoration website:
http://home.att.net/~hannahb/springside/home.htm
- Mike Russo'04
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