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TRANSACTIONS OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY 



NATHAN FRANKLIN BARRETT 



A MINUTE ON HIS LIFE AND SERVICE 



Nathan Franklin Barrett was born in 

 Staten Island, N. Y., November 19, 1845, 

 and died in Pelham, N. Y.. October 17, 

 1919. At the time of his death he was 

 the oldest living landscape architect, and 

 had practiced his profession for fifty 

 years. His father was one of the found- 

 ers of the firm of Barrett Nephews, the 

 large and well-known dyeing establish- 

 ment of Staten Island. The son never 

 chose to follow the trade and in his early 

 youth, the romance of the sea attracting 

 him, he led a sea-faring life for several 

 years. Finally returning home, he went 

 to war and served three years with the 

 Union armies, being wounded at the 

 battle of Cedar Creek, where he served 

 under Sheridan. In 1866 he took up the 

 serious study of landscape architecture, 

 which he chose for a life profession, 

 spending a period of practical apprentice- 

 ship in his brother's nursery, at the same 

 time familiarizing himself with all exist- 

 ing literature on the subject and visiting 

 all constructed works, worthy of atten- 

 tion, within reach. In those days, there 

 was little in the way of precedent for an 

 American landscape architect to follow, 

 beyond the comparatively few country 

 places executed by Andrew Jackson 

 Downing, and the writings of the latter, 

 with those also, perhaps, of Donald G. 

 Mitchell, whose interest in the subject 

 was pronounced. It is also possible that 

 the development of Central Park in New 

 York, which was then being undertaken 

 by Frederick Law Olmsted and Downing 

 Vaux, had some influence in his choice 

 of career, and that this was also a sub- 

 ject of his particular interest. 



In 1869 he executed his first commis- 

 sion and some of his earliest work of im- 

 portance was for the Central Railroad of 

 New Jersey, in connection with which he 

 laid out a number of station grounds, in- 

 cluding those at Roselle, Cranford, Fan- 

 wood, Netherwood and Plainfield. 



His works were nation wide and ex- 

 tended from Maine and Florida on the 

 east coast to California on the west. 

 Perhaps his individuality was best ex- 

 pressed in the country estates he treated, 

 but he was identified with the laying out 

 of many towns and suburban residence 

 districts. His most important work of 

 this class was the town of Pullman, 111. 

 (now a part of Chicago), which he 

 planned in 1872 ; and George R. Pullman 

 was not only his enthusiastic client but 

 one of his warmest personal friends. 

 Other towns which he planned, or the 

 planning of which he was closely con- 

 cerned with, were those of Birmingham, 

 Ala., Fort Worth, Tex., and Chevy 

 Chase, Md. 



In 1895 he was appointed landscape 

 architect of the Essex County Park Com- 

 mission, associated with John Bogart, 

 civil engineer. He served this commis- 

 sion for several years. Branch Brook 

 Park in the Oranges bears the particular 

 stamp of his treatment, and the selection 

 of park lands and the layout of connect- 

 ing boulevards constituted some of his 

 important duties. He served as a com- 

 missioner of the Palisades Inter-State 

 Park from 1900 to 1915, in the latter year 

 being appointed landscape architect of 

 the commission. He was a member of 

 the National Arts Club from the begin- 



