Childs Park Plan Conway School of Design 1982CHILID-S
PAV
~1 1
DEAN-. MCDOWELLo JOHN SIMMONS
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Prologue . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Context . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . 9
History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Project Goals . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . 11
ANALYSIS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Ground Form . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Vegetation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Character . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
RECOMMENDATIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Focus of recommendations . . . . . . . . . . 27
Maintenance and Policy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Perimeter Planting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Regeneration Planting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Parking, Maintenance Yard and Buildings . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Ramble Restoration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
South Lawn Redesign . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Formal Gardens Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
CONCLUSION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
APPENDIX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
An Evaluation of the Trees of Childs Park
by Terry Tattar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Plant Lists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Site Amenities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Bibliography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
3
INTRODUCTION
PROLOGUE
Childs Park is a gently roll-
ing, triangular shaped park in
Northampton, Massachusetts. In-
side its boundaries, its meander-
ing paths and roads invite the
stroller to explore its well-
maintained 45 acres. One finds
an amazingly diverse range of
settings from open sunny lawns,
to groves of stately trees, to
a rhododendron ramble, ponds, a
fountain, natural woodlands, and
an Italian Renaissance Garden.
Despite the enormous delight
it now gives to its current users,
it became evident to the Board of
Trustees of the Childs Park Foun-
dation that its character was
aging and eroding. In October,
1981, they met with members of the
Conway School of Landscape Design.
They set in motion this project
that would define for them the
purpose of Childs Park and this,
in turn, would produce a set of
goals that would guide the future
use, design and policy of the park.
From that fall day in Octo-
ber when a brilliant sun shone
scarlet through Japanese maple
leaves against an Arctic blue sky,
this investigation and project
dutifully developed. Information
accumulated, and the workload
increased. The energies of stu-
dents and teachers were drawn in-
to this nexus, and pulled away.
And yet, the quiet charm of Childs
Park always served as a retreat
to subdue our clatter and objec-
tions. When viewed against the
singular loveliness of Childs
Park, our difficulties and prob-
lems paled. Unknowingly, we
became caught up in the emotional
satisfaction and necessity of
such a park.
This report documents this
investigation that developed
during the spring, summer and
fall of 1982.
7
CONTEXT
Childs Park is located one
mile northwest of downtown North-
ampton, Massachusetts. Along its
southern boundary is North Elm
Street, a busy east-west state
highway. The north borders on
Prospect Street, another road
going into downtown Northampton.
And along its eastern side lies
Woodlawn Avenue, a quiet resi-
dential street.
The majority of this trian-
gular shaped park, beyond the
roads, is surrounded by well-
maintained single family homes.
There are, however, some notable
exceptions. Along North Elm on
the south lies Northampton High
School, and on the northeast lies
Cooley Dickinson Hospital and the
Smith Vocational School. Though
the hospital and vocational school
exert minimal impact on the park,
students from the high school are
always "hanging out" on adjacent
park land during school hours.
The Northampton YMCA is found
on the northeast corner of Pros-
pect and Woodlawn, and joggers
from the "Y" run along Prospect
Street. Otherwise, occasional
strollers from the neighborhood
are found walking around the park.
Parking is permitted along all
roads bordering the park, and
within the park.
It is apparent from observa-
tions that the surroundings do
not have a substantial impact on
this placid park except for the
steady drone of traffic noise
from the encircling streets.
The park is well-situated, how-
ever, for public accessibility
and visibility.
Within the larger context
of parks in.the Northampton area,
Childs Park fills the niche of
a green place of elegant simpli-
city for quiet recreation. Fur-
ther out North Elm lies Look Park,
200 acres that includes tennis
courts, ball fields, picnic areas,
a swimming pool and zoo. On the
other hand, five blocks closer
to*Northampton is the Smith Col-
lege campus with its Botanic Gar-
dens and greenhouses. The natural
character of Childs Park has an
unpretensiousness and openness
compared to the college grounds.
PROJECT GOALS
By the summer of 1982, these
objectives were delineated for
this project;
-to inventory and evaluate ex-
isting conditions in the park
with the intent of exposing
invaluable assets that should
be preserved and emphasized,
and problems that could be
altered.
-to clarify and re-interpret
the purpose of the park so
that clear decisions could
be made by the trustees re-
garding raintenance practices,
policy, and design changes.
-to recommend maintenance
practices, policy changs,
planting proposals, and phy-
sical designs in order to
preserve and enhance the park's
unique and distinctive
qualities.
11
ANALYSIS
13
ANALYSIS OF GROUND FORA
Childs Park is a gently
rolling triangle of land bounded
on three sides by roads. There is
a hilltop plateau, gently rolling
lawns and woods, small ponds, a
low wetland area, and a rhododen-
dron thicket. There are no in-
accessible areas within the 44.9
acres.
The entire park slopes down
to the roads, providing good drain-
age, although the park rests on
a clay subsoil. There are three
exceptions: The wet deciduous
woodland on the southeast is bog-
gy most of the year, and low areas
on the scuth and east lawn exper-
ience seasonal flooding.
The hilltop plateau on the
north has the thinnest and most
porous soil in the park, making it
a good habitat for the existing
pine trees. It is also the most
prominent topographic feature of
the park. .
In total there is a forty
foot grade change from the hill-
top in the north to the low spot
on the south lawn. The average
slope over the park is about 2.5%,
a slope which appears to the eye
quite level. The steepest slope
is 6%, found on the east lawn
which appears to be gently sloping.
Slopes, therefore, are slight
to moderate and occur in the most
desirable directions for park
users--facing the east, west, and
south. There is very little
north-facing slope. They present
no constraints to observed park
uses. They add significant
visual interest to the broad lawns
and facilitate drainage.' It is
recommended to maintain slopes as
they exist presently.
Sou -TH
Nor%-r N
ILL
SLOPES 15
j
VEGETATION
The majority of the park is
covered with a combination of
open sunny lawns and mixed stands
of mature trees. There are also
two naturalistic areas in the
park, a rhododendron thicket and
a formal (Italian Renaissance)
garden. In general, the plants
in the park are in good health
and are well-maintained.
The open lawns constitute
approximately one-third of the
site and are in three locations;
on the east, south and west
slopes. They are surrounded
and defined by irregular edges
and banks of woods, tall trees,
hedges and roads. The lawns are
well-maintained.
Two-thirds of the park is
covered by trees or woodlands.
Most trees have mown lawn under
them, although there are two
naturalistic areas that have
native forest groundcover under
them. The northern pine forest'
found on the hilltop plateau
has a mixed cover of pine nee-
dles and acid-loving plants, e.g.
blueberries, wintergreen, pipseiwa,
etc. The wet deciduous woods on
the southeast has a groundcover
of leaf mulch, limb litter, and
wetland plants, e.g. skunk cab-
bage. These two areas are ex-
periencing natural ecological
succession and contain the
greatest diversity of plant
species on the park site.
Bands of mature specimen
trees arch out from these dense-
ly wooded areas, reaching out
to the park boundaries and enclo-
sing the three sunny lawns.
These trees are stately and mature,
though many need pruning and pro-
fessional attention.
Along the perimeter of the
park, trees and shrubs are plant-
ed at straight and regular in-
tervals paralleling the high-
ways along the park boundaries.
On the south, these plantings.
have grown up to form an impene-
trable barrier, visually and
physically, while on the other
sides, these trees and shrubs
are stunted and have sparse
foliage, failing to produce the
desired screen.
The rhododendron thicket/
ramble is shaded by a dense cano-
py of deciduous and hemlock trees
which reduces light penetration
into the plants, preventing their
full growth and abundant spring
17
meticulously kept, although it
does not exhibit a wide range of
rose cultivars. The garden orn
the east-is also well-maintained,
seasonally planted with flowering
annuals and well-tended perennial
herbs. The smaller peony garden
on the north side of the garden
pavilion is well-tended, though
too shady for abundant flowering.
The daylily and hosta bed found
to the north of this garden is
healthy, but out-of-the-way and
hidden by shrubs.
In summary, the vegetation
of Childs Park, in its variety,
is the single most important in-
gredient of the park, and these
points can be deduced from an
analysis of its elements:
-the open lawns are the major
organizing elements of the park
and should continue to be main-
tained as they are presently.
-care should be exercised to
first protect and then to augment
and replant the existing mature
stands of trees found along the
interior roads and northern areas.
-the rhododendron ramble is
experiencing the most severe
deterioration and should be brought
brought back to its unique and in-
valuable position with immediate
and careful pruning of the hemlocks
and tree canopy.
-the condition of the pond
should be evaluated.
-the Japanese maples, Snow-
bells (Halesias) and other orna-
mentals found to the west side of
the pavilion are unique,and steps
should be taken to ensure their
longevity. Likewise, the Sweet
Gum (Liquidambar) and Purple
Beeches on the west lawn area are
also unique based on their plant
character.
-many trees in the east lawn
are in need of removal, i.e. the
dying hawthorns, girdled beech,
declining red oaks, dying catal-
pas, diseased blue spruce, etc.,
for safety and liability reasons.
"There is a critical need to
develop some kind of landscape
plan for the woody plants at
Childs Park. Shade intolerant
trees are often placed under large
conifers. Trees are often planted
too close together. Replacement
planting should be an ongoing ac-
tivity every year. The park still
has a unique charm, but many parts
are rapidly being overgrown while
other parts are being opened up
by death and nonreplacement of
old trees."
(see report by Terry Tattar in
Appendix)
19
CHARACTER ANALYSIS
Childs Park contains within
its acreage many diverse physi-
cal settings that impart a dis-
tinctive character to its user.
These character zones are as small
as the formal gardens, or as large
as the expanse of broad lawn on
the west. The park contains as
many as eight distinguishable
character zones.
Mystery and intricacy
are conceived in,the meandering
paths of the rhododendron ramble.
The discovery of the sheltered
pond in its center is a plea-
sant surprise which later engen-
ders feelings of tranquility.
Gazing over the expanse of sloping
lawns on the east or west produces
a sense of pastoral restfulness
for the viewer. One can also
admire the distant Holyoke
Mountains from the east lawn.
One senses the stateliness of
mature trees walking under their
high canopy along the interior
road between the west and south
lawns. The formal gardens and
Italianate pavilion are an
amazing period design, though
presently lacking design inte
21
gri.ty. A remnant of the wild
is felt walking on fragrant pine
needles listening to the wind
rustle through the pines in the
northern piney woodland, and one
feels the oppressiveness of tropi-
cal and unrestrained botanic
luxuriance if caught in the boggy
wetland on the southeast of the
park. Care should be taken to
protect the attributes most
accountable for these distin-
guishing character zones.
Today, many character zones
have become less distinguishable.
The delightful pond setting on
the southwestern perimeter has
become overgrown by shrubs block-
ing visual and physical access.
The fountain on the south lawn
has also become overgrown, Over
the years, trees have been hap-
hazardly planted without regard
to any design purpose or compo-
sition. Plantings along the per-
imeter of the park are either
overgrown or stunted and do not
effectively screen the delete-
rious intrusions of traffic visi-
bility and noise from entering
the park interior. Also, many
yews and hemlock, although not
found in the formal garden area,
are formally shaped and sheared,
appearing strangely out of char-
acter in their naturalistic loca-
tions. These areas are in great
need of attention.
Within its acreage, the
park accomodates a wide variety
of low-intensity recreation--
sitting, reading, walking, strol-
ling, hanging out," playing
frisbee, sun-bathing, etc. Park
users are most appreciative of
its relaxed, quiet and contem-
plative ambiance. Yet most park
users are also aware that the
park's charm is bordering on over-
maturity, and is becoming staid
and withdrawn from its surround-
ings. The park seems precarious-
ly preserved, like a fruit border-
ing on overripeness.
23
RECOMMENDATIONS-,
25
FOCUS OF RECOMMENDATIONS
Traditionally, the park has
been a casually structured and
lovely setting amidst an urban-
ized environment. Annie Childs,
the founder of the park, remarked
that this is a place where one
can wash away everyday cares.
Today, the park fulfills a
niche between Look Park and the
Smith College Gardens. Not only
is it found geographically be-
tween the two, but its use and
purpose also find it juxtaposed
between the raucous vitality of
Look Park and the intellectual
austerity of Smith.
In this setting, the park
emanates its own quiet charm as
a retreat for reflection, recu-
perative strolling or relaxation,
and special social convivialities.
The park is suited for low-inten-
sity recreation; in profession-
al jargon, this park is labeled
a "passive recreational park,"
From the analysis of land
form, it is evident that the
topography presents no major
constraints to its future use.
It is advisable to improve the
drainage in the low areas of the
south and east lawns and to
further emphasize the prominence
of the hill-plateau on the north
with tall trees.
From the vegetation analysis,
it is evident that a management
and maintenance plan for the
park°s trees and shrubs is the
single largest need for the
future of Childs Park.
. From the character analysis,
it is evident that the rhododen-
dron ramble, the south lawn, and
formal garden area need primary
attention because, first, they
contain some of the most distin-
guishing character assets of the
park, and, second, they appear
neglected or confusing. Restora-
tion of the ramble, redesign
of the formal gardens and rede-
sign of the south lawn area is
recommended.
There is one further recom-
mendation. Because the charac-
ter and success of Childs Park
depends so heavily on its retreat
from the busy-ness of the "out-
side" world., it is important to
de-emphasize the influence of
the automobile within -the park.
This is for two reasons: one,
for pedestrian safety; two, in
27
order to maintain the restful
and pastoral character of the
park itself. Cars and moving
traffic do not encourage restive
mental health. Therefore, they
should be excluded from the park
interior except for certain
times, e.g. Sunday 8:00-1:00p.m.
Some areas of Childs.Park
need little work. The lawns on
the east and west are well-
tended under current policy.
The naturalistic woods (on the
north and southeast) are essen-
tially self-maintaining in the
long term, except for periodic.
debris clearing for safety and
liability reasons.
Therefore, specific recom-
mendations and design proposals
will be presented for the fol-
lowing areas of concern:
-Maintenance and policy
-Perimeter plantings
-Regeneration plantings
-Parking and buildings
-Restoration of the ramble
-South Lawn
-Formal gardens 29
-renew mulch around new plantings,
and, if necessary, protect them
from lawn mowers.
-allow edge plantings along lawns
and perimeter of park to become
more irregular and varied. In
some instances, allow some
shrubs and trees, i.e. beeches
and spireas, to drop their fol-
iage to the ground, becoming
fully furnished.
-allow natural woods to experi-
ence uninterrupted ecological
succession. Periodically re-
move debris and hazardous dead
wood. Maintain natural ground-
covers and leaf mulch.
-remove stunted evergreen shrubs
along northern park borders,
and along interior road between
ramble and maintenance build-
ings.
-transplant young trees and arbor-
vitae lining roads and paths in
south lawn to areas needing
regeneration planting.
-remove white bollards from in-
terior roadways because they
call unnecessary attention to
the roads, breaking up the uni-
fied visual expanse of the
lawns.
-develop a bench and trash can
system that better reflects
the character of the park to
replace the present benches and
garbage cans chained to trees.
-install overhead lights that
are appropriate to the charac-
ter of the park.
-reduce sight clutter by consoli-
dating information on single
signs that are more positively
worded.
-bury or reroute unsightly over-
head wires (especially near
formal gardens)
-improve entrances by replacing
chains with removable bollards.
-restrict automobile impact on
park except at specific times.
These maintenance-and poli-
cy recommendations are inexpen-
sive to implement--there is a
maintenance crew that is able to
put these changes into effect
within regular working hours.
In this way, significant changes
for the improvement of the char-
acter and functioning of the
park can be effected very inex-
pensively. For instance, by
concentrating formal pruning
practices to only the formal
garden area, the crew can focus
their efforts on the area where
such effort is most noticeable
and appreciated. In summary,
these proposals do not increase
the work load of the maintenance
crew. Rather, they organize and
focus their work to be more effi_-
ci.ent, more energy conservative,
and more effective for the park
decorum.
31
PERIMETER PLANTING RECOMMENDATIONS
The plantings along the per-
imeter of-the park serve a number
of purposes. They can indicate
park boundaries, provide barriers
to the movement of people and/or
vehicles, block views in and/or
out of the park, frame views and
direct lines of sight, and afford
shade.
At the present time, planted
shrubs and evergreen trees that
are along the perimeter serve to
partially enclose and protect the
park, and give the impression of
a visual and physical barrier to
the outside. However, many
of these trees and shrubs are in
areas where conditions for growth
are very poor, as indicated by
the stunted form and sparse
foliage of the plantings, for
example, along Prospect Street.
These plantings do not even pro-
duce the intended screen from
traffic for users inside the
park.
Perimeter and screen plant-
ing proposals apply to several
specific areas, but can also be
applied generally. Plantings
should consist of small trees
and shrubs which are planted in
irregular masses and groupings.
Furthermore, these plantings
should be primarily deciduous in
order to allow views into the park
during the winter when a primary
use of the park is simply viewing
it from the road by passersby.
This will restrict views in the
warmer months during heavy park
use. Plantings should also be
selected according to existing
soil and light conditions--
shade-tolerant species should be
planted in shady locations, etc.
Along the north end of Pros-
pect Street, develop two shady
nooks overlooking the open west
lawn to the south by planting
dense masses of shade-tolerant
shrubs and small trees. (Remove
small stunted trees and shrubs
along Prospect.) These two places
should be adjacent to the resi-
dential road intersection along
Prospect. They will thereby
provide privacy to park users
from vehicles approaching the
park on these roads, yet views
from the houses will not be
obscured.
Near the YMCA and Nuttleman
Nursery Florist parking lot,
diseased blue spruces should be
removed. With the removal of
these tall screens, the view to
33
REGENERATION PLANTING PROPOSALS
Although the mature plant-
ings of overgreen and deciduous
trees are a major asset of Childs
Park, on close inspection, most of
these trees are overmature, which
makep them candidates for decline
and death in the near future as
well as increased liability risks
for failure due to internal de-
fects or root rot. In most areas,
there are few young trees to re-
place the older ones when they
die.. Very little new planting
has taken place.
In order to maintain the
present assets of stately trees
and mature groves, it is recom-
mended to begin a long-term pro-
gram of regeneration plantings for
all areas of the park. Species
of trees should be similar to those
now existing (if they are not
disease-prone, e.g. red pine,
blue spruce, white ash should not
be plantedl, so the character of
the park will remain as it is
presently. By beginning a rege-
neration plan now, when a stately
tree dies in the future, there
will be another coming along to
take its place and maintain the
tall tree canopy. These trees
will, in turn, be replaced with
future regeneration plantings in
years to come. By keeping the
species the same, and also by
keeping them in the same area,
the special quality of the park
plantings will remain.
In some portions of the park,
regeneration can be accomplished
through management practices
rather than by planting programs.
Selected areas of any size can be
left unmown and mulched with
leaves. Seeds brought by natu-
ral means from local species will
germinate and new trees will es-
tablish themselves. Selective
thinning, eventual return to
mowing around the new trees, and
establishment of a new self-re-
generation area will assure con-
stant restocking of trees. This
system is similar to, but more
managed than, the regeneration
of trees currently taking place
in the rhododendron ramble.
The goal of this program
is to develop a cross-section of
plant ages from youth to maturity,
and to maintain a steady supply
of mature trees in the future.
A diversity of ages of trees will
also add interest to the park
plantings, and will enhance the
natural feeling of the landscape
even while one is admiring the
massive mature trees.
35
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR PARKING,
MAINTENANCE YARD AND BUILDINGS
At present, unrestricted
automobile access is disruptive
to the quiet character of the
park. Also, parking is unorga-
nized within the park, and
workers' cars park on lawns around
the maintenance buildings near
the formal gardens.
As mentioned before, auto-
mobile access should be limited
because it presently disrupts the
special tranquility of the park.
Concomitantly, a new parking lot
for park personnel and for visit-
ors on special occasions should
be located to the east side of the
maintenance buildings. It is
designed to accomodate 10-15 cars.
Furthermore, the maintenance yard
and buildings and proposed parking
lot should be screened from the
formal gardens and east lawn by
a mass of shrubs planted along
the east exit road. The proposed
parking lot should also be screened
from Woodlawn Avenue by masses of
shade-tolerant shrubs planted
near the parking lot. (See
Appendix for plant list.)
The most likely location
for an information kiosk explain-
ing park-purpose, history, and
topography and vegetation is best
located on the east side of the
road at the intersection of the
maintenance driveway, east exit
road, and the interior park roads
bordering the ramble. This is a
point of maximum visitor traffic,
yet does not intrude on the
design integrity of the formal
gardens across the road, or pene-
trate the wild sanctuary of the
ramble. It is near and visible
to the maintenance buildings and
gardens pavilion to encourage a
sense of passive surveillance.
It is also an excellent location
to locate a drinking fountain
(presently unused lines are less
than 6 feet away).
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S7
RAMBLE RESTORATION
At present, the rhododen-
drons in the ramble are over-
shaded; many young trees are
pushing up through them; the
trails are too narrow and over-
grown to allow easy walking; and
the pond area is undermanaged.
The naturalistic setting of
the ramble should be emphasized,
as well as the design intent,
originally, to encourage the
sense of "getting lost". There-
(fore, the intricacy and mystery
of the meandering trails leading
to a sheltered pond should be
improved:
-remove the hemlocks that heavi-
ly shade the rhododendrons.
This will allow the plants to
grow more full and dense and to
produce more abundant flowering
in the spring.
-thin the young saplings growing
up through the rhododendrons.
-make the interior paths wider
by pruning back overgrown vege-
tation. This will provide easi-
er pedestrian circulation and
greater safety.
-relocate the wildflowers from
"the small garden to the south
of the formal gardens into
naturalistic groupings along
paths. Small clearings will
also be opened up. Wild flowers
are more appropriate in the ram-
ble than in their present lo-
cation near the formal gardens.
-improve the sheltered pond set-
ting. Add a bench that faces
across the pond. Add a low
weeping tree near the pond edge
for reflection and shadows
(e.g. dogwood, cherry, witch-
hazel, shadblow).
-study the hydrology of the pond.
Check bank for leakage. Dredge
bottom if necessary and estab-
lish water plant (e.g. water
lilies) in 'submerged contain-
ers. Maintain, or introduce,
monocois,grasses or bullrushes
in the shallows.
39
SOUTH LAWN REDESIGN
The south lawn is character-
ized by randomly planted trees, a
fountain overgrown by thorny bar-
berries, blue spruce and arborvi-
tae, and by white bollards that
line the interior roadway. A
pond near North Elm Street is
surrounded and overgrown by rho-
dodendron and azaleas and other
shrubs.
The - feeling and layout of
this area of Childs Park encou-
rages its "revitalization" along
the design intent of Victorian
public parks (a la Jacob Weiden-
mann and F.L. Olmsted).
-redevelop the fountain area.
This is the strongest focal
point in the south part of the
park.. Remove barberries, paint
the entire pool pewter grey,
add benches around the peri-
meter.
-remove arborvitae and diseased
blue'. spruce around fountain em-
bankment and paths. Open up
framed views to pond on west
park entrance and new pedestrian
entrance on south extremity of
park. (Transplant or sell
arborvitae.)
-maintain tall tree canopy of
deciduous trees near fountain
oval, providing a mixture of
sun and shade for users. De-
crease the number of trees as
one moves out to the open and
sunny lawns to the north and
to- the south of the fountain
area.
-develop a pedestrian entrance
at the south intersection of
Woodlawn Avenue and North Elm
Street. Provide an all-weather
paved stone surface and seating
walls that extend out along
North Elm and Woodlawn into
the perimeter plantings. Add
litter cans and lighting.
-open up views by removing over-
grown trees and shrubs along
Woodlawn Avenue. Plant a low
screen of shrubs that will
shield automobile visibility
but allow house windows to peer
out on park, thereby increasing
the sense of passive surveil-
lance to this side of the park.
Stately house architecture is
also an asset to be appreciated
from the park.
-as trees die or need to be re-
moved (especially blue spruce
and red pines, and hornbeams),
41
FORMAL GARDEN DESIGN
The formal gardens and pa-
vilion are distinctive architec-
tural and formal elements in an
otherwise naturalistic park. As
it now exists, the formal gar-
dens do not relate to one another,
or to the architecture of the
pavilion. Pedestrians find it
difficult to enter the gardens.
The pool and fountain are dry.
Granite paving stones are used in
the rose garden and pavilion walls,
but red bricks are used to outline
the paths in the fl,Dwer garden on
the east. Fifteen foot tall
sheared hemlocks dominate these
gardens.
The Italianate pavilion of
stucco and gray granite with red
tile roof and arched portico is
the strongest focal element in
the gardens.
The gardens and grounds are
superbly maintained and seasonal-
ly planted. Each garden and the
pavilion are about the same size
(60' x 1001). The original de-
sign intent was an Italian
Renaissance garden.
The rose garden and the
flower garden can more strongly
relate to the pavilion in design,
character and scale. In an Ital-
ian Renaissance garden, the archi-
tecture relates to the surrounding
geometrically designed gardens
through the use of linear paths,
balance of sub-units, strong bor-
ders, and material motifs. Grey
stone, gravel paths, clipped ever-
greens and focal water features
(e.g. small pools or fountains)
are traditionally used garden
design elements. Size relation-
ship to the human figure is also
important. Figuratively, a per-
son in an Italian Renaissance
garden symbolizes his position as
an ordered elements in an anthro-
pocentric and geo-centric/metric
universe. In the microcosm of a
small garden, one can begin to
understand and reflect on his
position in the macrocosm.
These recommendations for
the formal gardens will also
effect aspects of the east lawn,
the ramble, the maintenance area,
and the specimen plantings on the
west side of the pavilion.
Unify the separate elements
of the gardens by reinstating the
design principles of an Italian
Renaissance garden:
-create a strong central axis of
43
an archway or pergola linking the
gardens on the east to the pavil-
ion terrace. The archway repeats
the arch design already found on
the pavilion portico and extends
this through the garden landscape.
-open up new entrances, facing
each other from flower garden to
rose garden.
-extend hedges of rose garden to
road; plant centrally located
wisteria tree, add granite steps
from rose garden to the road.
-extend flr)wer border of flower
garden to road, taking out
visually disruptive and difficult
to maintain thin grass strip.
Bring peonies from west perennial
garden.
-replace red bricks with granite
paving stones in the flower gar-
den. Granite is more durable
and a material motif in an Ital-
ian Renaissance garden. It is
also used extensively in other
parts of the garden.
-eliminate grass strip along road
near the pavilion allowing
groundcover pachysandra to extend
down the slope. Pave path around
pavilion with granite paving
stones to. eliminate soil erosion.
-propose a terraced shacb garden
on the northeast garden quadrant,
next to archway (pergola).
This garden balances the over-
all garden design. provides a
transition zone from the natur-
alistic east lawn to the formal
gardens, provides a viewing and
bench area for viewing the Holy-
oke Range, and provides a small
"stage" for concerts, photos,
or social gatherings that are
scheduled in the pavilion.
A drinking fo>?ntain is located
at the north end of the granite
apron extending out from the
hosta daylily bed along the
road (brought from the perennial
garden near the pine woods).
Benches are located on this
apron.
-maintain all plantings in the
formal garden to less than five
feet tall. This is especially
important for yews and hemlocks.
-bury or relocate overhead wires
near east lawn.
45
CONCLUSION
Childs Park serves the pur-
pose of a. low-intensity recrea-
tional park. It accomplishes
this within a variety of settings
that engender different emotional
responses. Its stately trees,
its quiet charm, its unique col
lec tions of plants and settings,
have attracted people for gener-
ations. It has been noticed
that the park°s aging has not
been as graceful as it could.
Furthermore, remedial short-term
solutions to correct this have
often resulted in long-term mis-
takes. This report noted the
park°s problems. It also looked
carefully at the park to interpret
its purpose. From this purpose,
policy and design decisions
evolved which will hopefully
serve as a basis for future de-
cisions for design work, plant-
ing, policy and maintenance.
Traditionally, the park hxs
existed as a casually structured
and naturalistic setting. People
in Northampton use it to escape
and retreat from their urban
environment. Childs Park is
easy to get..to yet contrasts
vividly with the surrounding
urban setting.
If urban life is all too
often characterized by intellec-
tual and emotional strife, vis-
ual monotony, and economic acqui-
sitiveness, then the appeal of
Childs Park exists as a place
that occupies the imagination
and perceptions of the users with
experiences of a different sort
than what they are used to in
the city. In this way, Childs
Park, offering naturalistic di-
versions, works like a restora-
tive balm on our sensibilities.
Viewed in a more historical
perspective, Childs Park, and
parks like it, fulfill needs
more powerful than just the
"drop out" urges of the indus-
trial age user. There is a tra-
dition in our culture to seek or
create special places that allow
a transcendent restfulness to
occur. They have traditionally
been called oracles, or sanctu-
aries. It is in these places
that we intersperse our bouts of
frenzied activity with quiet
restfulness. A park, in this
way, is as old as civilization
and yet indi~3pensible to our
civilized mentality. A park
like Childs Park is here to
civilize us by an appeal differ-
ent than the rational.
47
APPENDIX 1
49
AN EVALUATION OF THE TREES IN CHILDS PARK
Terry A. Tattar, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
of
Plant Pathology
Shade Tree Laboratory
The University of Massachusetts
Amherst MA. 01003
51
Background: This report is based on field observations of the woody plants in
Childs Park Northampton made on June 2, 1982• The examinations were made at
the request of the Conway School of Landscape Design.
Observations: The following is a list of specific observations and recommendations
that were made at various sites around the park. The numbered sites were indicated
on a map of the park made by the Conway School.
Site #1 Silver Maple. - Evidence of internal decay was observed in holes
made by woodpeckers. Removal recommended due to hazard potential (see
enclosed leaflet on Living Hazard Trees).
Site #2 Eastern Hemlock. - Very large and close to pavilion. Potential
hazard due to internal decay.
Site #3 Norway Maple. - Numerous dead branches in the crown. Pruning is
recommended.
Sites # 4 and # 7 Red Oaks. - These very large trees have considerable
internal decay and large dead branches and should be removed.
Site #5 Chinese Chestnut. - Tree in decline with considerable decay.
Removal is advised.
Site #6 Beech. - Girdling roots are evident. Excavate and remove girdling
root unless more girdling roots are found. Fertilize to improve vigor.
Site #8 Stumps. - Evidence of tree removal but no replacement plantings.
53
Initiate plantings in this overmature tree area.
suppressed due to heavy shade and are in poor health. They should
be removed.
Site #20 Red Pine. - This tree has severe Diplodia tip blight and should
be removed.
Site #21 Concolor Fir (leaning). - Cabling of conifer groups such as these
will decrease chances of windthrow.
Site #22 Young Trees. - Mulch has broken down around base and injury from
lawnmowers is evident. Renew mulch to prevent further mower injury
on all newly planted trees.
Site #23 Red Maple. - This tree is in early decline and may still respond
to crown reduction and fertilization to improve vigor.
Site #24 White Ash. - The ash trees throughout the park are in poor
health. Most need pruning in the upper crown and many should be
removed.
Site #25 Balsam Firs (near pool). - Both trees are in decline and should
be removed.
Site #26 New Plantings. - Some of these trees are too small of caliper
for planting in a park. Minimum diameter should be 2" to 21-,". Trees
should be adequately staked. The sunscald injury on the maples could
have been avoided by wrapping at the time of planting.
55
Site #27. Beech and Colorado Blue Spruce. - The competition between these
trees is detrimental to both. The spruce are already suffering from
Cytospora canker and should be removed.
Site #28 Beech, Oaks, and White Pines (North of pavillion). - These trees
are either dead, dying or contain extensive internal decay. All trees
in this state constitute a serious hazard and should be removed.
Site #29 Red Maples and White Pines (NW corner of park). - Several red
maples are exhibiting severe crown dieback and one white pine is dead.
Removal is recommended. .
Conclusions: These site observations do not indicate all the tree health problems
in the park, but they do point out major problem areas. These findings could
be useful in developing a tree management plan for Childs Park.
It appears that the most of the trees in the park have been in place for
many years and very little new planting is taking place. Many of the trees could
now be calssified as overmature which makes them candidates for decline and death
in the near future as well as increased risks for failure due to internal defects
or root rots. There is also overcrowding in many places and thinning is needed.
The healthy vigorous trees obviously should be selected over the suppressed and
the disease-prone species. Removal of dead branches is needed in almost every
large tree. Most pruning was done below 20 feet and little above it. All work
57
Trees suitable for screen plantings
Genus and species
Common Name
Height
Hardiness zones
Acer campestre
Hedge Maple
25'
5
A. ginnala
Amur Maple
20'
2
A. griseum
Paperbark Maple
25'
5
A. palmatum
Japanese Maple
20'
5
A. pennsylvanicum -
Striped Maple
301
3
A. spicatum
Mountain Maple
25'
2
A. tataricum
Tatarian Maple
30'
4
Amelanchier canadensis
Shadblow Serviceberry
40'
4
A. laevis
Allegeny Serviceberry
35'
4
Cercis canadensis
Eastern Redbud
36'
4
Chionanthus virginicus
Fringetree
30'
4
Cornus alternifolia
Pagoda Dogwood
20'
3
C. florida
Flowering Dogwood
30'
4
C. kousa
Japanese Dogwood
21'
5
C. mas
Cornelian Cherry
24'
4
Crataegus sp.
Hawthorns
15-30'
Franklinia alatamaha
Franklinia
20`
5
Halesia carolina
Carolina Silverbell
30'
5
Magnolia soulangeana
Saucer Magnolia
25'
5
M. stellata
Star Magnolia
20'
5
Malus arnoldiana
Arnold Crab-apple
20'
4
Prunus cerasifera atropurpurea
Pissard Plum
24'
4
P. serrulata
Oriental Cherries
20'
5
P. subhirtella
Higgan Cherry
30'
5
Pyrus calleryana
Callery Pear
30'
4
Rhododendron maximum
Rosebay Rhododendron
15°
3
Salix pentandra
Laurel Willow
45'
4
Syringa amurensis japonica
Japanese Tree Lilac
30'
4
Viburnum lentago
Nannyberry
30'
2
V. prunifolium
Blackhaw
154
3
V. seiboldi
Seibold Viburnum
30'
4
* native to New England
59
Shrubs suitable for screen plantings continued
Genus and species
Salix caprea
S. discolor
Sambucus canadensis
S. pubens
Sorbaria sorbifolia
Spirea sp.
Syringa sp.
Taxus baccata
T. cuspidata
T. media
Vaccinium corymbosum
Viburnum cassinoides
V. dentatum
V. dilatatum
V. tomentosum
V. trilobum
Wiegela sp.
Common name Height
Goat Willow
20'
Pussywillow
15'
American Elder
12'
Scarlet Elder
15'
Jap. False Spirea
9'
Spireas
3-12'
Lilacs
6-20'
English Yew
35'
Japanese Yew
20'
Intermediate Yew
20'
Highbush Blueberry
10'
Withe-Rod
6'
Arrow-wood
154
Linden Viburnum
9'
Doublefile Viburnum
9'
American Cranberry-bush
10'
Wiegelas
10''
* native to New England
Plant material listed fulfill
several criteria necessary to function as
screen plants.Plants should not attain a
maximum height of more than 25' 30'.
At maturity they should be dense and
should have foliage all the way to the
ground. They should be hardy in this area,
should provide aesthetic interest, and
require little or no care.
Hardiness zones
4
3
3
4
2
4
4
3
2
2
5
4
2
61
It IOeiVN
A-"
K10514% pP~I~~f~Ir-1U FoL y 6K
FOP-, WNEELGNP\IP, l-41:~,E7
> 5'r6EL POWKLlb
" 5-raEL PIPES
NE MOVA bLF tO~LAF~D
L- I C~ H -r mG F05-r
partial Bibliography
Appleton, Jay, The Experience of Landscape, New York, John
Wiley and Sons, 1978•
Bailey, L.H., The Standard C clo edict of Horticulture, Volume
V, New York, Macmillan Company, 1916.
Jellicoe, G.A., Studies in Landscape Design, London, Oxford
University Press, 1960.
McHarg, Ian, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, "Graduate
Forum Lecture01, 2 May 1982.
Schuyler, David, Victorian Landscape Gardening: A Facsimile of
.Jacob Weidenmann's Beautifying County Homes, Watkins Glen,
New York, American Life Foundation, 1978. orig. 1870)
Stevenson, Elizabeth, Park Maker, Frederick Law Olmsted, New York,
Macmillan Publishing Company, Inc., 1977.
Welcome to Childs Park!
We invite you to stroll
through its well-maintained
44 acres. You will find such
diverse settings as open and
sunny lawns, groves of mature
trees, a rhododendron ramble,
ponds, a fountain, natural
woodlands, and an Italian
Renaissance garden.
Enjoy your visit. Walk
anywhere. This park is char-
tered as a "quiet" park, here
for the benefit of its users.
Strolling and sitting are
favorite pasttimes here. The
Italianate pavilion can be
rented for social occasions.
This naturalistic
PINEY WOODS is the rem--
nant of the . wild
with rock outcrops, fra-
grant pine needles, and
wind rustling through
tall pines.
That big tree in the center of the WEST
LAWN is a Sweet Gum (Liquidambar styra-
ciflu.a), a living fossil with closest
relatives in Formosa and Turkey. A
crushed leaf has a clean fragrance.
These STATELY TREES tower over the
This SOUTH LAWN is most pleasant
for "'low intensity" recreation.
Do you agree?
During the 1600's, a person walking in
an ITALIAN RENAISSANCE GARDEN would
reflect how similar this is to the
earth rotating in a well-ordered geome -
tric universe. Of course, we know now
that mankind is not at the center of
the world, and the earth is not the
center of the universe.
Enjoy the
EAST LAWN,
to admire
Range.
long sloping
a great place-
the Holyoke
-This type of
WETLAND was
common in early
New England.Wa tch
your 's.tep; you
might sink into the
mud. Notice the tall-
Red Maples and Skunk
Cabbage, the :ferns,
mosses and liverworts.
Getting lost 'is the intent
- of the RAMBLE with the
pleasant surprise of disco-
vering a small contemplative
pond.