Landscape Structures Small-Scale Features, Furnishings...

Oehrlein & Associates Architects and Robinson & Associates, Inc. PART III- INVENTORY - 59 St. Elizabeths West Campus Preservation, Design, & Development Guidelines

Greenhouse landscape, showing brick perimeter wall in the background (S11) (Heritage Landscapes Landscape Assessment Plan)

Greenhouse complex showing stone walls (S19) (Heritage Landscapes Landscape Assessment Plan)

Woodland regeneration showing overturned bench in the center (F11) (Heritage Landscapes Landscape Assessment Plan)

Greenhouse Complex showing cobblestone birdbath in the foreground (F14) (Heritage Landscapes Landscape Assessment Plan)

Landsca

Significance:

pe Structures

Parcel 3 was used for agricultural purposes, and the

or the grounds and the patient Parcel 3 therefore tend toward

eatures. This includes the historic brick perimeter h continues to form the public face of

pital as it did during the period of significance. The wall its historic character. Landscape

iated with the greenhouses include a retaining ble and dental caps. The landscape

e the agricultural purpose of this parcel of the lding Section for data on the

Historically,greenhouses produced plants fwards. Landscape structures infunctional fwall, begun in 1857, whicthe hosshows signs of age but retains structures assocwall and stone walls with cobstructures illustrathospital landscape. (See Buigreenhouses)

CLR Contributing Features: wall at perimeter of hospital from Greenhouse

house No. 2 (#78), established by 1877

CLR Status: Degraded CLR Treatment Recommendation: Repair

one walls with cobble and dental caps at the established by 1937

CLR Status: Present CLR Treatment Recommendation: Retain

g wall east of drive to Greenhouses, established

CLR Status: Modified CLR Treatment Recommendation: Rehabilitate

ew Treatment:

*S11 – Brick complex to area of Gate

*S19 – StGreenhouses,

*S20 – Retaininby 1937

CLR Overvi ick perimeter wall should be repointed to protect the

of the structure. The Greenhouse complex walls The brintegrityrequire minor stabilization efforts to prevent further decline.

Small-Scale Features, Furnishings and Objects

Significance: Small-scale features in Parcel 3 illustrate aspects of St. Elizabeths’ designed landscape. The benches in Parcel 3 embody St. Elizabeths treatment philosophy, which emphasized patient interaction with natural surroundings. The birdbath near the Greenhouse complex and the no-longer-extant urns and flower beds at Burroughs Cottage (#18) illustrate the elaboration of the hospital landscape with ornamental features in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

CLR Contributing Features: *F11 – Wood slat and metal strap benches, established by 1937

CLR Status: Degraded CLR Treatment Recommendation: Recapture

*F14 – Concrete and stone planter and birdbath in the sunken garden at the Greenhouse Complex, established by 1937

CLR Status: Present CLR Treatment Recommendation: Retain

CLR Overview Treatment: The birdbath suffers damage that threatens continual degradation. It should be stabilized to prevent further damage and repaired. The more intact examples of the wood and metal benches could be replicated for use on the campus.


PARCEL 4 – BUILDINGS

Contributing Buildings Building #52 (Boiler House / Ice Plant) Building #53 (Tool House) Building #55 (Locomotive House) Building #56 and #57 (Power Houses) Building #63 (Transformer Room)

The Ice House(#52) today as seen from the south. Original window openings have been filled with CMU. (FMG Architects 2005)

Historic photo of the Ice House (#52) as seen from the south. (National Archives) Historic photo of the Tool House (#53) as seen from the south, circa

1897. (National Archives)

The interior is a large, open volume beneath exposed wood roof trusses. (FMG Architects 2005)

Existing building first floor plan (#52). (FMG Architects 2007)

The Tool House (#53) as seen today from the south. (FMG Architects 2005)

Building #52 (Boiler House/ Ice Plant

Building #53 (Tool House)

Built: 1892

Ceiling height(s): First floor-±20’ to bottom of rafters; 8’ in shed addition

The basement was not accessible for survey.

Significance:


This is the only stone building on the West Campus. It appears that its use as a boiler house ended with the completion of the Power House (#57) in 1910.

Condition: Stone masonry walls are intact and structurally sound. There are open mortar joints on portions of the exterior walls.

The concrete floor system is in fair condition.

Wood frame roof and sheathing were replaced recently. Wood roof trusses may have some damage from moisture.

Integrity: Historic plans are not available for this building.

Significant interior features:

Large, open interior space; exposed roof trusses

Reuse: The large volume and open plan of the space allow easy rehabilitation for a new use. The building should be rehabilitated.

Built: 1895

Ceiling height(s): Basement level-8’; first floor-12’

Significance: While the historic form of this building is still evident, the present finishes provide no indication of its late 19th century date.

Condition: Masonry load bearing walls at foundation level and wood frame at first floor level appear to be in good condition. All structural members are intact and functioning.

Wood framed floor shows no visual deterioration and is in good condition.

Wood roof framing is intact and in good condition.

Integrity: Historic plans are not available for this building.

Original form, massing, structure and wood windows remain. Exterior finishes have been altered but changes are reversible.


None

Reuse: This small scale building is appropriate for support uses. The building should be rehabilitated.


c 1979 historic photo of the Locomotive House (#55) as seen from the south, with Power House (#56 and #57) beyond. (St. Elizabeths Archives/GSA

The Locomotive House (#55) today as seen from the west. (Oehrlein & Associates Architects 2005)

The Power House (#57) as seen from north. (FMG Architects 2005)

The Power House (#56) today as seen from northwest. (FMG Architects 2005)

Existing building first floor plan (#56 & #57). (FMG Architects 2005)

Building #55 (Locomotive House) Building #56 and #57 (Power House)

Built: 1947

Ceiling height(s): ±20’

Significance: A simple, utilitarian building, rectangular in plan, this structure demonstrates the size and self-sufficiency of St. Elizabeths in a time when they relied heavily on train transportation to deliver raw materials used for fuel in providing heat and power for the campus.

Condition: Brick and CMU load bearing walls are in good condition. Original masonry openings have been infilled with CMU.

Low-slope, concrete and steel roof structure is in good condition.

Integrity: The building retains its original form and materials, but original windows have been removed.


None

Reuse: The large volume, open interior space provides flexibility in incorporating a new use in this building. The building should be rehabilitated.

Built: 1902 (#56), 1910 (#57)

Ceiling height(s): single large open space, approximately 40’

Significance: This simple, utilitarian assemblage of buildings is an integral part of the historic character of St. Elizabeths because it demonstrates the scale and self-sufficiency of the institution.

When both buildings were complete, the buildings housed four 300 h.p. boilers, presumably replacing older boilers located in Building #52. The possible engineering significance of this building and its machinery should be evaluated.

Condition: Brick load bearing walls are in fair condition. There is a large amount of water infiltration at the concrete retaining wall on the southeast elevation of the basement in Building #56. Water infiltration is limited to the perimeter of the southeast wall.

Basement level floor is constructed of concrete and steel. Steel beams are used throughout the building for support of equipment. Interior space is a single room with different levels of equipment and walkways for equipment access.

Concrete and steel truss roof structure is in good condition and exhibits no signs of stress or deterioration.

Integrity: Machinery, tools and large amounts of pipes occupy the space.


Machinery and boilers Overhead 15 ton crane Lighting from clerestory windows Glazed tiles at perimeter walls, Building #57 Steel Pratt roof trusses

View of steel roof trusses and large, open volume of the interior (#56). (FMG Architects 2005)

The Transformer Room (#63) as seen from the south. (Oehrlein & Associates Architects 2008)

Building #56 & #57 (Power House) cont’d.

Building #63 (Transformer Room)

Reuse:


The open floor plans, generous floor-to-ceiling dimensions, and abundance of available natural light allow for great flexibility in incorporating new uses. The buildings should be rehabilitated.

Built: 1957

Ceiling height(s): 8’

Significance:

Reuse: The small size of the building would allow it to be used as a transformer room, utility shed or other utilitarian use. The building should be rehabilitated.

This transformer house is more distinctive than Building #62, also a transformer house constructed in 1957.

Condition: Brick load bearing walls are in good condition.

Wood roof framing and metal standing-seam roof are in good condition

Integrity: The building does not appear to have been altered.


None


Service Landscape, showing Power House and Service Buildings (O13) (Robinson & Associates 2008)

Service Landscape (O13) (Smith Group 2007)

PARCEL 4 – LANDSCAPE Service Landscape and Ravine around Power House and Service Buildings

Natural Systems and Features

Significance: At St. Elizabeths Hospital, the Anacostia River is the primary shaper of land form. Parcel 4 encompasses the sloping west side of the river-formed plateau chosen by Dorothea Lynde Dix and Dr. Charles Nichols as the site of St. Elizabeths, as well as the wooded ravine that helps divide Parcel 1 and Parcel 2. In early hospital history, this division separated the plateau into therapeutic and agricultural landscapes.

CLR Contributing Feature: N1 – Prehistoric Anacostia River dynamics shape campus landform, in place at the hospital’s founding

CLR Status: Retained CLR Treatment Recommendation: Retain

CLR Overview Treatment: The larger landforms of the hospital site and the processes that shape them should be protected.

Land Use and Cultural Traditions

Significance: Land use in Parcel 4 was historically dominated by the late 19th- and early 20th-century infrastructure necessary to support St. Elizabeths’ growing population and physical plant. This land use has not been superseded.

CLR Contributing Features: L1 – Landscape maintenance activity, established by 1877

CLR Status: Modified CLR Treatment Recommendation: Recapture

L3 – Therapeutic use of the hospital landscape, established by 1877


L5 – Service and support land uses, established by 1877

CLR Status: Removed CLR Treatment Recommendation: Renew

CLR Overview Treatment: Land uses related to the service and support of core campus activities could be reestablished in Parcel 4. Modern technology changes the physical requirements for service and support functions of a large campus; however, new facilities and activities could take place in the location of previous land uses. Compared to other units of the campus, Parcels 4 and 5 contain fewer features that contribute to the historic character of the landscape, are less visible from other areas inside of the campus, and appear to be more suitable for adaptation for adaptation to contemporary uses. The Warehouse and Laundry building in Parcel 4 postdates the period of significance and presents an opportunity for removal for future site requirements. This intervention could also reduce impacts that the existing building has on the integrity of the adjacent West Campus Cemetery in Parcel 5.

Spatial Organization and Land Patterns

Significance: The spatial organization of the ravine in Parcel 4 began to take shape with the construction what is now known as the Boiler House/Ice Plant (Building #52) and access roads in 1892. The current character of the space, influenced by landforms, the wooded hillsides, building mass, and circulation, was essentially completed with the construction of the Power House (Building #56 and #57) in 1915. The Parcel 4 buildings and their location illustrate the need for institutional self-sufficiency in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, as well as the increase in patients that spurred the early 20th-century expansion of facilities. A small section of the developed plateau is included in Parcel 4, along with the steep slope to the west. Land patterns in this part of the parcel were substantially changed after the end of the period of significance with the removal of Howard Hall on the plateau and the construction of the new Warehouse and Laundry building on the west slope.

O1 – Hospital boundary and total acreage, established by 1877

CLR Status: Modified CLR Treatment Recommendation: Retain

O13 – Service Landscape and Ravine around Power House and Service Buildings, established by 1937

CLR Status: Expanded CLR Treatment Recommendation: Rehabilitate/Renew

CLR Overview Treatment: The retained aspects of historic spatial organization and larger land patterns should protected. The woodlands that cover much of Parcel 4, with the exception of the older undisturbed patches, may accommodate new uses that remain within the scale and character of the parcel. This approach would minimize alteration of other landscape features including views to and from the hospital.

Views and Visual Relationships

Significance: Service structures such as the historic Boiler House/Ice Plant and the Power House are built into the nearby hillsides and continue to serve as focal points for views through clearings made by the few roads and trails and the former railroad track route. These views capture several aspects of St. Elizabeths’ significance at once: 1) the topography of plateau and ravines, 2) the depressed service landscape, and 3) the 19th- and early 20th-century goal of institutional self-sufficiency. The Power House smokestacks also create a visual relationship between the West Campus cultural landscape and visual relationships from across the river.

CLR Contributing Features: V9 – Visual relationship between the architecture of the Monumental Core and the Power House towers, established by 1937


V18 – Internal views of service and industrial landscape, established by 1937


CLR Overview Treatment: Extant historic views and visual relationships should be retained through preservation or enhanced through rehabilitation. The two smokestack towers of the Power House (#56 and #57) create context and reference points in the hospital landscape, particularly from points across the river to the West Campus. These views and visual relations should be retained in order to maintain the integrity of the historic landscape.


View of the Power House from the Navy Yard (V9) (Oehrlein & Associates Architects 2005)

Intersection of Cedar Drive and Holly Street (V18) (Robinson & Associates 2008)

View of the Power House from the Storage Building (V18) (Robinson & Associates 2008)

Ash Street showing sloping topography. (D2) (Robinson & Associates 2008)

Rear of the Power House and ravine (D10) (Smith Group 2007) Historic woodland at the rear of the Power House (T26) (Robinson & Associates 2008)

Topography and Drainage

Significance: Parcel 4 is characterized by the plateau west of the Center Building complex, the steep slopes, and the ravine from the plateau to the Power House (#56 and #57). The slope west of the plateau, where the Warehouse and Laundry building is located, may have been the location of one of St. Elizabeths’ springs, which provided fresh water for hospital use. Erosion affected the railroad track in this area during the period of significance, forcing some recontouring of the land. The slopes and ravines create a natural separation between the service landscape and the historic campus. The slope west of the plateau has been modified by the construction of the Warehouse and the removal of the railroad line.

CLR Contributing Features: *D2 – Slopes and ravines separating the historic campus from related service and agricultural landscapes, established before 1852


*D10 – Power House ravine, established before 1852


CLR Overview Treatment: The belt of slopes and ravines extending from the high grounds should be repaired through erosion control and limited replanting. Eroding slopes in the area of the Power House ravine should be stabilized; however, stabilization should only occur outside of the limits of the older woodland patch and former dump, which has been determined to meet the requirements for listing in the National Register of Historic Places as an archeological site.

Vegetation

Significance: The Service Landscape that occupies Parcel 4 is defined by a large ravine and historic woodland in the vicinity of the Power House (#56 and #57) and Boiler House/Ice Plant (#52), as well as the western slope where the Warehouse and Laundry building stands. The edge of the ravine is covered in woodland of mature, mixed oaks that has not been disturbed since the end of the period of significance, one of only five on the West Campus. Trees dating to the period of significance can also be found north of Holly Street from the warehouse. These trees are remnants of the western slope’s former condition, in which trees covered it.

CLR Contributing Features: T24 – Woodland along west slopes toward Anacostia River, along northwest, west, and southwest boundaries (oak, beech, maple, elm species), established by 1877

CLR Status: Expanded/Regenerated CLR Treatment Recommendation: Rehabilitate/Renew

*T26 – High quality woodland patch with older specimens in the ravine south of the Power House, established by 1937


*T27 – Older specimen trees on the hillside north of Holly Street leading to the Warehouse and Laundry Building, established by 1937


CLR Overview Treatment: The preservation of the section of older trees along the Power House ravine, along with the other four woodland areas undisturbed since the period of significance, is important for retaining the historic character of Parcel 4. The woodland should be rehabilitated through a forest management program. The program would focus on invasive species and controlling disturbance regimes according to the intensity of effort. Older specimen trees should be monitored and managed for health and regeneration.


Single-track railroad spur at the rear of the Power House (C27) (Smith Group 2007)

Stone wall and integrated steps adjacent to the Ice House (S21) (Smith Group 2007)

Circulation

Significance: Parcel 4 owes its character to late 19th- and early 20th -century development of the infrastructure necessary to support St. Elizabeths’ growing population and physical plant. Circulation paths in this area were designed to satisfy functional requirements of this infrastructure. The railroad spur that historically climbed from the northwest edge of the hospital to the Power House (#56 and #57), the hairpin turns of Ash Street, and the unpaved road west of the Boiler House/Ice Plant (#52) illustrate the development of the service landscape.

CLR Contributing Features: *C27 – Single-track railroad spur route to north property line, established by 1937


*C28 – Unpaved road west of Boiler House/Ice Plant (#52), established by 1899


CLR Overview Treatment: Character-defining elements such as trails and road alignments and widths should be retained and protected from adverse impacts. If future plans require a transportation line at the north end of the property, the alignment of the railroad can be adapted to those needs.

Landscape Structures

Significance: The stone walls and steps in Parcel 4 are indicative of the historic separation of the service landscape from the hospital’s core. While functional in nature, the stone walls with dental caps at the Ice Plant exhibit an ornamental approach used elsewhere at St. Elizabeths – at the Greenhouses, for instance, and at one of the springs (no longer extant). The historic walls in Parcel 4 show evidence of deterioration but remain in their historic locations and contribute to the character of the cultural landscape. As retaining walls, the bluestone steps are in poor condition due to slump from retained soil and lack of maintenance.

CLR Contributing Features: *S21 – Stone walls with dental caps and integrated steps at the Boiler House/Ice Plant (#52), established by 1937


*S22 – Bluestone steps on hillside from construction shops to Boiler House/Ice Plant (#52), established by 1937


CLR Overview Treatment: Landscape structures, such as walls and steps, contribute to the significance and integrity of the hospital landscape. Those structures remaining from the period of significance should be stabilized, retained, and, if necessary, repaired or rehabilitated. The historically significant walls at the Ice Plant require repair and the stabilization of the adjacent slopes.


PARCEL 5 – BUILDINGS

Contributing Buildings None


West Campus Cemetery and west slopes (O14) (Robinson & Associates 2008)

West Campus Cemetery with trees over lawn (O15) (Robinson & Associates 2008)

PARCEL 5 - LANDSCAPE West Campus Cemetery and West Slope

Natural Systems and Features

Significance: At St. Elizabeths Hospital, the Anacostia River is the shaper of land form. Parcel 5 encompasses the lower levels of the sloping west side of the river-formed plateau chosen by Dorothea Lynde Dix and Dr. Charles Nichols as the site of St. Elizabeths. Nichols used trails through the woodland and along the intermittent stream in Parcel 5 as recreational opportunities for his patients. Non historic vegetation and fill in the 1960s has altered the natural systems in the parcel. Limited patches of historic woodland are extant in Parcel 5 with the most mature sections around the West Campus Cemetery.

CLR Contributing Features: N1 – Prehistoric Anacostia River dynamics shape campus landform, in place at the hospital’s founding


N4 – Woodland cover on west slope, established after 1937

CLR Status: Expanded/New/ Regenerated CLR Treatment Recommendation: Rehabilitate

CLR Overview Treatment: On the west slope, woodland cover should be rehabilitated to enhance environmental quality. The current condition and the history of disturbance and forest succession in these areas indicate that a woodland management program would be useful for improving quality of the natural systems. This rehabilitation approach would protect the visual appearance of low-intensity land usage that is an aspect of Parcel 5.

Land Use and Cultural Traditions

Significance: Historically, Parcel 5 was used as a source of wood for the hospital, as a location for trails that served St. Elizabeths’ therapeutic philosophy, and as a site for a hospital cemetery that was adopted for military burials during the Civil War. Veneration at the cemetery is an enduring cultural tradition at St. Elizabeths for groups such as local historical societies. Although Parcel 5 was logged in the 1960s, its use as a woodland continues.

CLR Contributing Features: L1 – Landscape maintenance activity, established by 1877


L3 – Therapeutic use of the hospital landscape, established by 1877


L7 – Veneration of West Campus Cemetery, established by 1877


CLR Overview Treatment: Occasional visits by historical societies and other interested groups to the West Campus Cemetery should be facilitated. Compared to other units of the campus, and with the exception of the cemetery, Parcels 4 and 5 contain fewer features that contribute to the historic character of the landscape, are less visible from other areas inside of the campus, and appear to be more suitable for adaptation for adaptation to contemporary uses.

Spatial Organization and Land Patterns

Significance: In Parcel 5, contemporary woodlands cover the majority of western and southwestern slopes. The parcel’s most significant feature is the West Campus Cemetery. Spatial organization is linked to sloping topography, a skeleton of roads, the woodlands, and the cemetery landscape of trees over lawn. Woodland regeneration along the steep west slopes has expanded the woodland cover since the 1960s. The cemetery itself is a well defined space with filtered views downslope to the west.

O1 – Hospital boundary and total acreage, established by 1877


O14 – Civil War Cemetery and West Slope, established by 1877


O15 – West Campus Cemetery with trees over lawn, established by 1877


CLR Overview Treatment: Discreet spatial zones around the West Campus Cemetery are important historic areas defined by topography, vegetation, and views out. Impacts to the integrity of the cemetery’s place in the spatial organization should be discouraged. The small areas of historic woodlands should be protected; however, regenerated woodlands may accommodate new uses that remain within its scale and character.

Views and Visual Relationships

Significance: Parcel 5 included winding trails that afforded patients changing views of the natural features of the site as part of their therapy. While the woodland was logged and has regenerated since the end of the period of significance and the original trails have disappeared, aspects of Parcel 5’s significant views and visual relationships remain. These include important slot views across the Potomac River from the West Campus Cemetery. Parcel 5 is also a significant component of the topographic bowl that is characteristic of the southern and eastern banks of the Anacostia when viewed from Virginia. Historic views to the West Campus from points on opposing river banks endure even though changes in vegetation have altered the character of views from within the parcel. The hillsides of Parcel 5 still appear “green” and vegetated with low-intensity land use.

CLR Contributing Features: V13 – Perception of river access, established by 1877


V15 – Views across wooded areas, established by 1877

CLR Status: Expanded CLR Treatment Recommendation: Retain

V16 – Views from points across the river to the Topographic Bowl of the wooded Anacostia River bank and St. Elizabeths Hospital, established by 1877

CLR Status: Expanded CLR Treatment Recommendation: Retain

V19 – Slot view to Monumental Core from West Campus Cemetery, established by 1877


V20 – Internal views of West Campus Cemetery, established by 1877


CLR Overview Treatment: Extant historic views and visual relationships should be preserved or rehabilitated. Views toward the west across the Potomac River from Parcel 5, particularly the West Campus Cemetery, should be retained. Related aspects of visual relationships, including the views from points across the rivers to the West Campus, should be retained. Also, the perceived


West Campus Cemetery showing perception of river access (V13, V19) (Heritage Landscapes Landscape Assessment Plan)

West Campus Cemetery with views to the Monumental Core (V15) (Robinson & Associates 2008)

Telephoto view of the Topographic Bowl from across the river (V16) (Oehrlein & Associates Architects 2005)

Internal views of West Campus Cemetery (V20) (Robinson & Associates 2008)

Slope separating the Cemetery from the Historic Campus (D2) (Robinson & Associates 2008)

Specimen trees in and around the West Campus Cemetery (T29) (Smith Group 2007)

relationship between the hospital and the river relates to the importance of the wooded hillsides that block views of development that has occurred outside the property since the early 1940s. These views and visual relations should be retained in order to maintain the integrity of the historic campus landscape.

Topography and Drainage

Significance: The sloping topography of Parcel 5, particularly near the West Campus Cemetery, affords panoramic views across the Anacostia River to the city of Washington, DC – an important component of the therapeutic landscape. Throughout the period of significance, an intermittent stream ran through Parcel 5, draining water from the plateau. The course of the stream influenced the location of trails through the parcel that provided patients with changing views of St. Elizabeths’ natural elements as well as recreational opportunities – both of which were important to mental health treatment philosophy in the 19th century. The ravines were partially filled in the 1960s.

CLR Contributing Features: *D2 – Slopes and ravines separating the historic campus from related service and agricultural landscapes, established before 1852


*D11 – Intermittent stream along SW property line, established by 1877


CLR Overview Treatment: The belt of slopes and ravines extending from the high grounds should be repaired through erosion control and limited replanting. The historic drainage feature of the intermittent stream along the southwestern property line is eroded and should be rehabilitated.

Vegetation

Significance: Parcel 5 forms the western edge of St. Elizabeths West Campus and is made up of 31 acres of woodlands of varying ages. The West Campus Cemetery is set within a mature hardwood forest with oaks, ashes, walnuts, tulip trees, elms, and cherries, forming the overstory. The trees in this area are an integral part of the character of the cemetery. Another area of high quality woodland with older specimens exists due west of the parking lot associated with Q Building (#68). The rest of the parcel is a regenerating young woodland.

CLR Contributing Features: T24 – Woodland along west slopes toward Anacostia River , along northwest, west, and southwest property boundaries (oak, beech, maple, elm species), established by 1877

CLR Status: Expanded/ Regenerated CLR Treatment Recommendation: Rehabilitate/Renew

*T28 – High quality woodland with older specimens along the West Campus perimeter due west of the parking lot associated with Q Building, established by 1937


*T29 – Older specimen trees in and around the West Campus Cemetery, established by 1877


CLR Overview Treatment: The woodland should be rehabilitated through a forest management program. The program would focus on invasive species and controlling disturbances regimes according to the intensity of effort. Older specimen trees should be monitored and managed for health and regeneration.


The West Campus Cemetery (F15) (Heritage Landscapes Landscape Assessment Plan)

Circulation

Significance: In Parcel 5, circulation features assist in understanding the historic use for this parcel which covers the western and southwestern slopes. Pedestrian paths (no longer extant), which followed the intermittent stream from the plateau, were used by St. Elizabeths patients. The hospital’s service landscape is represented by a portion of the course of the railroad spur heading for the Power House that passes through this parcel. A portion of an agricultural road in Parcel 3 travels through Parcel 5, providing access to the cemetery.

CLR Contributing Features: *C25 – Unpaved agricultural road between Cemetery and Sweetgum Lane, established by 1899

CLR Status: Degraded CLR Treatment Recommendation: Retain

*C27 – Single-track railroad spur route to North property line, established by 1937


CLR Overview Treatment: Character-defining elements such as trails and road alignments should be retained and protected. If future plans require a transportation line at the north end of the property, the alignment of the railroad could be adapted to those needs.

Landscape Structures

Significance: A small section of the hospital’s brick perimeter wall can be found in Parcel 5 west of the Power House (#56 and #57). The wall is indicative of the confinement and seclusion of St. Elizabeths. The cemetery, surrounded during the 19th century by a wood fence, is now encompassed by a nonhistoric fence, which includes an 18-linear-foot section of stone wall.

CLR Contributing Features: *S24 – Brick perimeter segment wall along SW property edge, established by 1877


CLR Overview Treatment: The brick perimeter wall should be retained and repointed where necessary to protect the integrity of the feature.

Small-Scale Features, Furnishings and Objects

Significance: During the Civil War, Union forces used St Elizabeth’s facilities as a hospital for wounded soldiers and sailors, and an existing cemetery at the hospital was used for military burials. Grave markers in the West Campus Cemetery form the most significant small-scale object group in the West campus landscape. Most of the headstones are in good condition.

CLR Contributing Feature: *F15 – West Campus Cemetery, 200 exposed headstones arranged in 22 rows, established by 1877


CLR Overview Treatment: The West Campus Cemetery headstones should be assessed, protected, and repaired upon the recommendations of a stone conservation specialist.

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