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Informal
plantings should include a range of trees of all ages and historically
accurate types in appropriate locations. Formal trees are most effective as
single aged stands. Along the Mall, Elms should be planted when Crabapples
decline. In other areas, formal trees should also be planted simultaneously
and maintained for visual quality as well as general health. These formal
plantings can be sequenced with other park plantings over the next two
decades. The
planting of memorial trees should be encouraged as one way to continually
reforest the park. No plaques or markers should be placed on the tree.
Instead, a suitable plaque listing all contributions to a ‘Tree Trust”, a
similar entity, should be prominently displayed in the Lake House. Memorial
trees should be of historic varieties, planted in correct locations. Donors
should understand the conditions and manner of use of their gifts from the
outset. An explanatory brochure could explain the memorial tree program or
several ways to donate trees or other vegetation to the park. Tree
removals and pruning should be a part of a vegetation management approach to
each scenic outlooks. Trees should be removed when in decline. New plantings
of historically appropriate trees should be planned with retaining views in
mind. A
diverse shrub layer should be reintroduced area by area over time. Utilizing
the early plant lists and considering the perceived safety issues, as shown
on the Preservation Proposal, dense shrub plantings around the perimeter and
within the interior of the park should be reinstated. A
collaborative effort with the City, modelled after the Prospect Park Tree
Trust and other similar efforts, could address some park tree needs as a
prime objective. Landscape
preservation guidelines can be thoroughly articulated and their application
to Washington Park explored. Because the park is listed on the National
Register, the historic documentation for treatment of the vegetation as well
as other elements within the park should form the basis for future actions. A
paraphrasing of current standards for historic landscapes would include the
following general guidelines: 1.
All projects should be considered as a treatment undertaken in response to
the landscape’s historic value. Historic design values need to be respected
and fully integrated; 2.
No historic remains should be altered or obliterated by the proposed action; 3.
Plant materials that require removal should be replaced in historic locations
with the same materials. Lost
plants or plantings should be replaced with the greatest degree of accuracy
possible. Contemporary
interpretations, new concepts or designs appropriate to other locations
should not guide the
work. Historic documentation should guide action. The amount of conjecture
should be minimized. 4.
If complete and accurate historic information is unavailable, actions should
be postponed pending further information or should be carried out in such a
way as to be completely reversible.
Condition
: Park
drives are in generally good to fair condition. Only a portion of the
original drives is open to vehicular traffic as shown on Exhibit 1
(Circulation and Built Elements). Drive widening and curbing projects have
affected the circulation pattern and covered over or eliminated the
cobblestone swales and catch basins of the historic drainage system. Changes
in drive openings and closings over |
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