Finding Aid for the Doan Reber Ogden "From a Landscape Architect's Notebook" Articles and Color Drawings, PC.7027

Abstract

Landscape architect Doan Reber Ogden's influence can be seen across western North Carolina. He opened a practice in Asheville in 1952. Although he did work out-of-state and out of the region, Ogden chiefly worked in North Carolina's mountain counties. He designed Asheville's University Botanical Gardens, the Arboretum at Haywood County Community College, and he had a hand in designing plantings at Warren Wilson College and Western Carolina University.

This collection consists of 14 articles written in the late 1950s with 18 illustrations to accompany certain articles. The title "From a Landscape Architect's Notebook," precedes each individual article subtitle. Only one article was known to be published. There is also a 68.5 x 68.5 cm. landscape design plan unrelated to the articles.

Descriptive Summary

Title: Doan Reber Ogden "From a Landscape Architect's Notebook" Articles and Illustrations
Call Number: PC.7027
Creator: Ogden, Doan Reber
Date: ca. 1950s.
Repository: Western Regional Archives, State Archives of North Carolina

Series Quick Links

Collection Contents

Biographical/Historical

Doan Reber Ogden (1907-1989) was a landscape architect of note, whose influence can be seen across western North Carolina. He graduated from Michigan State University in 1931, and was hired by the Asheville Farm School in Swannanoa, North Carolina, a Presbyterian-supported agricultural school that later became Warren Wilson College. In 1933, Ogden married fellow Michigander Rosemary Mason. The couple soon afterwards returned to their native state. The Ogdens, however, continued to visit the Asheville area on vacation.

Following World War II, the Ogdens returned to Asheville and bought property on Lake Kenilworth. In 1952, he began developing Ogden Gardens on the nine acres surrounding his home. Because of his business records, it is believed Ogden began his landscaping firm in 1952. His practice was not confined to North Carolina; in the early years, it took him as far away as Michigan and New Mexico. He also worked in South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. Ogden designed landscapes in numerous cities and towns in western North Carolina. Areas with large client bases include Arden, Asheville, Biltmore Forest, Boone, Brevard, Canton, Conyer, Gastonia, Hendersonville, Kings Mountain, Lenoir, Morganton, Newton, Rutherfordton, Shelby, Tryon, and Waynesville.
He planned and planted, in part or in whole, the gardens for the Cherokee Historical Association, Asheville Biltmore Botanical Garden (now known as the University Botanical Gardens at Asheville, Inc.), Canton Recreation Park, and Daniel Boone Botanical Gardens. His practice included design and plantings for Warren Wilson College, Western Carolina University, and numerous business firms, corporations, and churches in western North Carolina. His work in New Mexico included landscaping the famous Ghost Ranch in Abiquiu, owned by the Presbyterian Church. Ogden also did landscaping for Biltmore Estate, the Reverend Billy Graham, and Senator Sam Ervin.
Ogden was a member of the American Society of Landscape Architects and served on the executive board of the North Carolina chapter in 1978. The Ogden Gardens surrounding his home, pictured in Peter Loewer's (Simon and Schuster, 1988), were eventually opened to the public by Ogden, but were closed again as private gardens shortly before his death in 1989.

Contents of the Collection

Collection Contents

Bold Flowers for the Summer Doldrums, ca. 1958

The Bright Beauty of Berries, ca. 1958

Cadenzas and Crescendos of Spring, ca. 1958

A Careless Landscape, ca. 1958

Early Spring Combinations, ca. 1958

Flowers are for Fun, ca. 1958

For Spring to Fall Colors Use Foliage, ca. 1958

Gardening Glory in Autumn, ca. 1958

Is Yours a Nondescript Town?, ca. 1958

Junk and Gunk in Our House Foundation Plantings, ca. 1958

Roses...Key to the June Border, ca. 1958

A Springtime Symphony, ca. 1958

Winter Color without Flowers, ca. 1958

A Winter Flower Garden, ca. 1958

Subject Headings

Ogden, Doan Reber, 1907-1989

Landscape design

Landscape architectural drawing

Acquisitions Information

Gift of Mark Wilson, February 2017.