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| Chauncey Beadle Landscape Architect |
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Born in St. Catherine, Ontario, Canada, Chauncey Beadle
studied botany at the Ontario Agricultural College and continued later
in the United States at Cornell University. In 1890 he joined
Frederick Law Olmsted in Asheville, North Carolina as head
nurseryman at Vanderbilt's Biltmore Estate. In time, Beadle served
as the superintendent (60 years) and treasurer of the Estate. He's
credited for the care of over 1,000 azaleas residing in the Azalea
Garden and for becoming the leading authority on native azaleas in the
United States. In 1908 Beadle began working with E.W. Grove
to design the 1908-1913 and 1914 phase of Grove Park, a fine example of
early 20th century planned suburban development. The Grove Park
neighborhood features curving streets lined with grand trees, sidewalks
and stone retaining walls. The park on Charlotte Street signifies
the entrance of the neighborhood and is reminiscent of Olmsted's
naturalistic landscape philosophy stemming from 18th century English
landscapes in Europe. The park gives home to deciduous and evergreen
trees, open spaces and stone shelters. Beadle designed the grounds
for St. Mary's Episcopal Church in 1915-1916. In 1918,
Beadle turned his focus to Biltmore Forest, a community being developed
on what had originally been part of the Biltmore Estate. Again, he
followed the natural topography of the land when designing roads and
paths. He planted a variety of native plants including pine and hardwood
trees, mountain laurel, azalea, rhododendron, and dogwood. He
incorporated wood and stone into structures such as benches and bus
shelter's. Beadle was an asset to the developers who wanted to
carry on Vanderbilt's vision of the Estate and the surrounding land. He
lived at the Biltmore Estate until his death in 1950. At the All
Souls Church in Biltmore, where he was a senior warden, there is a
cloister dedicated to him: "Uniting the Church and her children in
Worship and Work and Play, the gift of his sons and of his friends is in
the memory of Chauncey Delos Beadle."
HJ 2005 |
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Biographical Information Sources |
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The Designs |
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Related Oral Interviews |
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Selected Correspondence |
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Selected Documents |
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Bibliography |
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Typological Motifs in Beadle's Work |
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K-12 |
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