Turn of the 20th Century “Green” Thinking

Sustainability and ecofriendly are two very modern terms that were unfamiliar to people who lived in the late 19th and early 20th century. However foreign those terms were, there was a consciousness at the time that the earth and the environment deserved some protection and appreciation. It might not be the same ideas as those espoused today by environmentalists, but there was an appreciation for the benefits a green mindset could offer.

When A.R. Beardsley and his wife Elizabeth built Ruthmere in 1908 -1910, many state-of-the-art design features, such as a central vacuum system, a fire suppression system in the library and a forced air duct to cool off the upper floors, was put into use. The same attention to details is evident in the lawn sprinkler system installed on the Ruthmere grounds, the usability of the Greenhouse and the built in cistern to collect rainwater, which was used for bathing, washing and irrigation of the lawn and planting beds.

Cisterns were common for homes built in the 1800s through the 1940s. Ancient in both design and use, the cistern’s function is to collect rainwater to be used later. At Ruthmere, a series of gutters and downspouts direct the rainwater into the basin at the back of the house. From there the collected rainwater was used in the baths and showers, in the laundry, for sprinkling the lawn and tending to plants in the greenhouse.

One of Ruthmere’s cisterns, located in a closet on the 3rd floor

Today, rain barrels serve a similar purpose, allowing property owners to collect water that can be used for irrigation. This prevents erosion and helps reduce the dependency on public water supplies.

Landscape design, too, shows a change in attitude towards a conservationist approach. Architects frequently designed both the indoor and outdoor spaces, until the late 1800s when a more specialized design developed as the culture adapted towards preserving and protecting the resources and land.

Frederick Law Olmsted

Considered the father of landscape architecture was Frederick Law Olmsted, known for the design of New York City’s Central Park and the George Washington Biltmore II North Carolina estate. His philosophy changed the way public and private spaces were designed. His focus was on letting the dictates of the land determine its best use.

Before Olmsted, there really was no specific career title as landscape architect. According to scholars, the term was first used by Olmsted when he and his associate Calvert Vaux won a design contest for Central Park. It described their philosophy that the design of the landscape is as important as the design of the building.

His ideals came from the conservationist movement that began in the late 1800s and into the early 1900s. Some of his design esthetics included public green spaces, preservation of woods, meadows and other natural areas. In the design for Riverside, Illinois, his plans indicated “…each homeowner would maintain one or two living trees between the house and the street and … recreation areas were to be the ‘character of informal village greens.’”

Much of these elements echo some of the design choices made in the landscaping at Ruthmere. Trees are prevalent in the blueprint from a landscape redesign in the 1930s. Greenspace is preserved around the house, greenhouse and garage. Formal gardens with perennials were in place along the perimeter of the adjacent lawns and as feature plantings on all sides of the house and grounds.

Some of the original 1930s blueprints

The move from gardening that focused on edibles to more decorative features occurred in 1841 with the publication of “A Treatise on the Theory and Practice of Landscape Gardening Adapted to North America.” The author, Andrew Jackson Downing was a horticulturist. He talks about the “American Dream” as it applies to gardens, that people will develop “… an attachment to a certain spot, and a desire to render that place attractive.”

That view of attractiveness was influenced by the times the nation was going through. From the 1830s to the 1860s, Victorian gardens were popular. The wealthy decorated their homes with fancy garden structures and decor and carefully attended lawns, which were critical to partake in the outdoor activities of the times.

It is said that Stella Beardsley, who lived in the house from 1924 to the 1940s, enjoyed looking out at the gardens while she ate her breakfast each morning. From that window, visitors to the house can see a view like the one Stella enjoyed.

These floral gardens and planting beds, while perhaps done strictly for ornamental purposes, are in line with today’s concept of environmentalism which calls for a reduction of lawn to conserve water. Replacing annuals with perennials and native plants is also a green practice by 21st century standards. Ruthmere’s landscape design includes these floral beds and planting areas, keeping with the trend of the time, but also reducing overall the grounds’ dependency on water. 

Gardens provide benefits for the earth, including preventing erosion, naturally cleaning the air and soil and providing oxygen. Trees and the shade provided reduces the dependence on air-conditioning and cools the nearby environment. Even noise can be diminished by placing trees, shrubs and other plants strategically around the grounds. And bees and butterflies and other beneficial insects are attracted to gardens.

Elizabeth Beardsley was fond of gardening also, so much so that the design of Ruthmere includes a tunnel from the basement game room into the greenhouse across the piazza which Elizabeth used regularly.

Ruthmere’s Greenhouse

Although greenhouses have been in use for millennia, these structures were favored by the wealthy, and prevalent at universities, in botanical gardens and in sciences-based institutions. The glass windows allowed heat from the sun to be trapped inside, allowing for the propagation of plants year-round. Ruthmere’s Greenhouse is ornate in its design, but still functions as a place to grow traditional and heirloom species of flowers and plants.  Utilizing rainwater from the cistern and solar heat, the greenhouse was a nod toward today’s use of natural elements in a “green” way.

Although by today’s standards, greenhouses may not be as green as possible, especially as methods other than the sun are used to keep the interior temperature warm in the winter, the greenhouse does fit into the philosophy of Conservationism as some of the first steps toward sustainability.

The Conservationist movement focused on the preservation and management of resources so that people could still benefit from these resources in the generations to come. This was the beginning of the environmental movement, although the principles and ideals have evolved. Significant preservation accomplishments heralded in the late 1800s was the establishment of Yellowstone National Park and the designation of Adirondack Forest Preserve, which transitioned to Adirondack Park, designated by state law "for the free use of all the people." Generations that have come since can attest to the benefit parks and public lands have had.

The Beardsley Family in Elkhart was generous in deeding portions of their land to the City of Elkhart for parks and recreation. Beardsley Park, the site of a new all-accessible canoe launch into the St. Joseph River, was once owned by the Beardsleys as was Island Park, still enjoyed by locals and visitors.

ADA Kayak Launches at Beardsley Park

Island Park

When the Conservationist Movement came unto the scene in Victorian times, running out of resources, especially wood to use in construction of houses and buildings, was one worry. A second concern was protection of the areas of wilderness for the enjoyment of all. And, lastly, pollution was getting the noticed, as well as the effects of pollution on people’s health.

From this early understanding of humankind’s role in caring for the nature came the idea that taking steps to preserve and protect the earth, air and water could lead to a higher quality of life, perhaps exactly like the life that A.R. and Elizabeth built on the banks of the St. Joseph and Elkhart rivers.