NEWS: The Carr Garden project begins
The first major garden restoration project at Bartram’s Garden in nearly a century is now underway. Located to the west of the historic house, the Carr Garden was originally the early 19th-century exhibition garden created by John Bartram’s granddaughter, Ann Bartram Carr, and her husband, Colonel Robert Carr. It was the first public green space at Bartram’s Garden, showcasing fashionable exotics imported from Asia, as well as Ann Bartram Carr’s own hybrid dahlias and camellias.
Architectural rendering of the new Carr Garden (courtesy LRSLA Studio)
On Friday, May 8, Bartram’s Garden held a groundbreaking ceremony, featuring partners from the John Bartram Association, the City of Philadelphia Parks & Recreation Department, LRSLA Studio, and many others. Bartram’s Garden board president Elizabeth Bressi-Stoppe and executive director Maitreyi Roy described the garden project and support of our invaluable funders and contributors.
Mark Focht—Philadelphia’s first deputy commissioner of Parks & Facilities—celebrated the long-standing partnership. “The relationship between the John Bartram Association and the City of Philadelphia extends back to 1893 and is one of the longest-lasting partnerships in the history of his city,” Focht noted with pride.
Carol Quigley (Frens & Frens LLC); curator Joel Fry (Bartram’s Garden); Eric Godfrey (CVMNEXT Construction); Julie Bush (LRSLA Studio); Bob Allen (City of Philadelphia); Mark Focht (City of Philadelphia); executive director Maitreyi Roy (Bartram’s Garden); board president Elizabeth Bressi-Stoppe (Bartram’s Garden)
Added Maitreyi Roy, “The restoration will reconnect us to the Bartram spirit of entrepreneurship and innovation. Work will continue throughout 2015 as we make critical updates to the National Historic Landmark Bartram House, including a new roof, geothermal climate-control systems, and historic features and finishes.”
The Bartram House will not be open to the public until 2016. However, new guided tours will highlight this conservation and the transformations that are underway.
The project has been funded by a PA Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program, PA Coastal Zone Management Program, the City of Philadelphia Department of Parks and Recreation, the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority, the Mayor’s Office of Sustainability, The McLean Contributionship, Mrs. Dorrance Hamilton, Jane Pepper, and the estate of Margot Bowie Hunt.
