Duke Gardens
Approach to Duke Gardens, showing Trumbauer conservatory housing Semi-tropical, Italian, and Colonial Gardens
Map
TypeConservatory
LocationDuke Farms
Nearest townHillsborough Township, New Jersey
Coordinates40°33′02″N 74°37′07″W / 40.55062°N 74.61871°W / 40.55062; -74.61871
Area10 acres (4.0 ha)
Opened1964 (1964)
Closed2008 (2008)
FounderDoris Duke
Managed byThe Duke Gardens Foundation
StatusClosed

Duke Gardens in Somerset County, New Jersey, were among the most significant glass house collections in America. Created by Doris Duke, they were larger than the New York Botanical Garden's Enid A. Haupt Conservatory,[1] and were open to the public from 1964. They were closed by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation on or before May 25, 2008 and the plant material was donated to public gardens throughout the United States.[2][3]

History

The Chinese Garden, showing serenity bridge over koi stream

Duke Gardens were part of the 2,700-acre (1,100 ha) Duke Farms estate built by James Buchanan Duke, founder of the American Tobacco Company and benefactor of Duke University. Duke Farms is located on U.S. Route 206, 1.75 miles (2.82 km) south of the Somerville Circle, in Hillsborough Township in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States.[4] The Gardens were designed and installed by Doris Duke herself, therefore several alternative names are used: The Doris Duke Indoor Display Gardens at Duke Farms, Duke Farms Indoor Display Gardens, The Doris Duke International Display Gardens, The Duke Gardens Foundation. Officially, the Gardens were The Duke Gardens Foundation, Inc, a 501(c)(3) Private Operating Foundation established 1960.[5]

Miss Duke developed these exotic display gardens in honor of her beloved father James Buchanan Duke,[6][7] Inspired by DuPont's Longwood Gardens, each of the eleven Duke Display Gardens is a full-scale re-creation of a garden theme, country or period. Display construction began in 1958. Miss Duke both designed the displays and labored on their installation, sometimes working 16-hour days.[8] In 1960 she donated 10 acres (4.0 ha) of her estate, including the greenhouses, to the Duke Gardens Foundation, Inc.[9]

The Duke Farms website stated that "Doris Duke had long been personally involved in the construction, repair and remodeling of her properties, and she was directly involved in the physical design of the Indoor Display Gardens. Although she lacked specific botanical knowledge, she had a clear vision of the spaces and features she wanted to create. According to the New York Post, she designed all but one of the gardens, incorporating her interests in color, design and fragrance."[10]

Doris Duke continued her involvement with her gardens throughout her life, bringing designers with her to modify them during the summer season when they were closed to tourists. In the 1970s she added extensive night-lighting, and introduced public tours of the gardens at night. A rediscovered image of the "stunning nightlighting of the French Gardens" was used as one centerpiece of social protest against the closure.[11]

Description

Duke Gardens formed four sides of a quadrangle, and took at least one hour to view. The entry fell on the side formed by a Conservatory designed by Horace Trumbauer and constructed 1909-17.[12] The other three sides were formed by greenhouses in styles that are still manufactured. The greenhouse over the English Garden was installed in the 1990s.

Duke Gardens were visited in the following sequence:

Closure and removal

The French Garden on the day before closure. Contrast with the same garden in Miss Duke's lifetime to see effect of garden staff reductions.[11]

In March 2008 Duke Farms announced "an expansive and bold new vision for the 2,740-acre (1,110 ha) property, in which it will refocus its programs and operations to become an environmental showcase and learning center. The first major change will be the conclusion in May 2008 of tours of the 11 indoor display gardens".[13][14]

In April 2008, opposition to the closure and dismantling of the Display Gardens started to emerge, open letters appeared in the local press. A website was established, allowing protest emails to the Trustees. A usergroup to display images of the Gardens, "Save Duke Gardens" was formed on Flickr.[15] The ongoing web campaign has received local and metropolitan coverage, and resulted in hundreds of letters to the eleven DDCF Trustees behind the decision: Joan E. Spero, (President), Nannerl O. Keohane (Chair), John J. Mack (Vice Chair), Harry Demopoulos, Anthony Fauci, James F. Gill, Anne Hawley, Peter A. Nadosy, William H. Schlesinger, John H.T. Wilson and John E. Zuccotti.[16][17][18]

Other gardens on Duke Farms site

The Duke Gardens Foundation, Inc, established in 1959 and now part of Duke Farms Foundation, must "maintain a horticultural and botanical establishment for the purpose of scientific experimentation and public education and enjoyment". With closure of Duke Gardens, the Duke Farms Foundation created new indoor and outdoor display gardens as part of Duke Farms. Indoor gardens are presented in the renovated Lord & Burnham conservatory (c.1900), now known as the Orchid Range. Duke Farms opened to the public on May 19, 2012.[19]

See also

References

  1. ^ Garmey, Jane (29 May 2008). "Doris Duke's Storied Gardens Are No More". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 14 September 2023.(subscription required)
  2. ^ "Duke Farms Promotes "Greener" Future". Duke Farms. Archived from the original on 28 March 2008. Retrieved 14 September 2023.
  3. ^ Sudol, Valerie (2 April 2008). "Gardens at Duke Farms to close, then reopen a shade greener". nj. Retrieved 14 September 2023.
  4. ^ "Duke Farms | History". Duke Farms. 2006. Archived from the original on 30 June 2007. Retrieved 14 September 2023.
  5. ^ "Duke Gardens Foundation Inc". GuideStar. Retrieved 2008-06-02.(subscription required)
  6. ^ "Duke Farms in New Jersey". njskylands.com. 1999. Retrieved 14 September 2023.
  7. ^ "Duke University". www.britannica.com. Encyclopædia Britannica. 11 September 2023. Retrieved 14 September 2023.
  8. ^ Pace, Eric (29 October 1993). "Doris Duke, 80, Heiress Whose Great Wealth Couldn't Buy Happiness, Is Dead". The New York Times. p. 11. Retrieved 14 September 2023.
  9. ^ "New Jersey Bursts with Blooms at World-Class Gardens This Spring". VisitNJ. State of New Jersey. 2 May 2003. Archived from the original on 8 August 2006. Retrieved 14 September 2023.
  10. ^ "Duke Farms". www.dukefarms.org. Archived from the original on 22 July 2004. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
  11. ^ a b "And Doris found herself - once more - underneath the stars..." Flickr. @femme_makita. 22 May 2008. Retrieved 14 September 2023.
  12. ^ "New Greenhouse". Duke Farms. Archived from the original on June 22, 2007. Retrieved 2008-05-07.
  13. ^ "Property to Become an Environmental Learning Center with Expanded Public Access". Duke Farms. 2 March 2008. Archived from the original on 28 March 2008. Retrieved 14 September 2023.
  14. ^ "Repurposing the Greenhouse Display Gardens into an Environmental Education Exhibit and Orientation Center" (PDF). Edward J. Bloustein School | Rutgers University. 2019. Retrieved 14 September 2023.
  15. ^ "Save Duke Gardens". Flickr. Retrieved 14 September 2023.
  16. ^ Sroka-Holzmann, Pamela (17 May 2008). "Web drive fighting Duke Farms changes". MyCentralJersey.com. Archived from the original on 14 December 2008. Retrieved 14 September 2023.
  17. ^ Sudol, Valerie (14 May 2008). "Web campaign to 'Save Duke Gardens'". nj.com. Retrieved 14 September 2023.
  18. ^ Raver, Anne (8 May 2008). "Transformation Includes Sacrifice". The New York Times. Retrieved 14 September 2023.
  19. ^ Gillette, Greg (14 July 2018). "Gillette On Hillsborough: Orchid Range Interior, Then and Now". Gillette On Hillsborough. Retrieved 14 September 2023.

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