Archives West Finding Aid

The Lord & Schryver landscape architectural records collection contains landscaping plans and drawings, correspondence, office files, subject files, photographs, brief biographical sketches, and notes relating to Lord's and Schryver's work as landscape architects.

The project drawings series contains Lord & Schryver landscape architecture plans. Where the grounds were planned in conjunction with the construction of a residence, architectural blueprints can also be found within the drawing file. Some projects consist of only one drawing, while more elaborate projects contain several series of drawings (e.g., construction plans for walls, steps, benches, fences, and arbors).

The correspondence series contains project correspondence, nursery correspondence, and general correspondence related to Lord's and Schryver's work as landscape architects.

Billing files represent labor costs for gardeners, supervising costs, and plant material orders. Plant materials for several projects may be listed together on one bill.

The organizations and committees series details various community and historical projects in which Lord and Schryver were involved, including those for the Salem Art Association, Horticulture Group, McLoughlin Memorial, Oregon Roadside Council, Portland Garden Club, Salem Parks Planning Commission, Salem Tree Commission, and Oregon Society of Landscape Architects. Materials of note in this series relate to the historic renovation of the grounds for the Bush House in Salem, as well as the Minthorn House in Newberg (the boyhood home of Herbert Hoover).

The lecture and published works series is comprised of lecture transcripts and notes, related correspondence, radio scripts, articles, and Edith Schryver's teaching files from Oregon State College (now Oregon State University). Lecture topics include plant materials, landscape design philosophies, as well as gardens in foreign countries. Radio scripts for the "Home Garden Hour" that detail a day in the life of a landscape architect, as well as articles for the Oregonian geared toward home gardeners can also be found in this series.

The research materials series contains subject files, plant and garden clippings, plant lists, collected print material, notebooks, and nursery catalogs. Subject files, arranged alphabetically by subject, chiefly contain printed material collected by Lord and Schryver. While a large portion of the subject matter relates to architecture and landscaping, other interests of both women are reflected. Notebooks contain personal observations regarding travels, gardening, family visits, and notes dispersing selected items to close friends.

The biographical material series contains brief biographical sketches outlining Lord's and Schryver's education, training, and organizational activity relative to their profession; company awards, certificates, and licenses; and the collected projects of New York landscape architect Ellen Shipman.

The photographs and slides series includes lantern slides, negatives, albums, slides, snapshots, and other printed materials. Photos and slides of various trips taken by Lord and Schryver to the Orient, South Africa, South America, England, France, Italy, Spain, and Mexico are included. Subjects are primarily gardens and church architecture.