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University of Delaware Library Institutional Repository >
Longwood Graduate Program in Public Horticulture >
Theses - The Longwood Graduate Program in Public Horticulture >
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http://dspace.udel.edu:8080/dspace/handle/19716/3102
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| Title: | The Historic Landscape at Gibraltar - A Proposal for Its Preservation |
| Authors: | Gestram, Iris |
| Keywords: | History - public garden
History - Gibraltar
Historic landscape preservation
Marian Cruger Coffin
Hugh Rodney Sharp |
| Issue Date: | 1997 |
| Publisher: | University of Delaware |
| Abstract: | Gibraltar is an historically significant house and early twentieth-century estate
garden within the city of Wilmington, Delaware. Its landscape merits preservation based
on its association with Hugh Rodney Sharp, one of Delaware's preeminent
preservationists and philanthropists; Marian Cruger Coffin, who was among the first and
most accomplished women landscape architects in the United States; and the Brinckle
family, important landowners in nineteenth-century greater Wilmington.* By definition,
Gibraltar is a designed historic landscape, embodying distinctive characteristics of the
American Country Place Era, the period of its greatest significance. In addition to its
historic importance, the property forms an essential segment of a contemporary stretch of
"greenspace" along Route 52, at the north entrance to the city of Wilmington.
Landscape preservation involves four major steps: historical research and
documentation, analysis of the property's existing conditions, selection and planning of
appropriate treatment methods, and treatment of the landscape. This proposal for the
preservation of Gibraltar's landscape was developed in accordance with these four steps,
documenting Gibraltar's evolution from the early 1800s until the recent past, evaluating
its historic significance, recording existing conditions, and making recommendations for
the treatment of the property.
Based on information gathered from historic documents, oral history, on-site
work, and a variety of published sources, the author recommends the preservation of
Gibraltar's landscape as a 1920s historic estate garden reflecting the style of the
American Country Place Era. In addition, Gibraltar should be saved as a memorial to its
creator and owner, Hugh Rodney Sharp, and as a piece of art, designed by professional
landscape architect Marian Cruger Coffin. The preservation work should be carried out
in harmony with the design intent of Coffin and Sharp, taking into account contemporary
needs of users and visitors and the financial viability of the project. |
| URI: | http://dspace.udel.edu:8080/dspace/handle/19716/3102 |
| Appears in Collections: | Theses - The Longwood Graduate Program in Public Horticulture
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