Chester E. Corry papers - Archives West

Overview of the Collection

Title

Dates

1947-1989 (inclusive)

Quantity

541.67 linear feet, (160 containers) : 51 (36" x 48") oversize folders, 67 (30" x 40") oversize folders, 35 (24" x 36") oversize folders, 2 (31.5" x 23.5" x 3.25") oversize flat boxes, 1 (24.75" x 20.75" x 3.25") flat box, 1 (21.75" x 17.75" x 2.75") flat box, 1 half-manuscript box

Collection Number

Coll 522

Summary

Chester E. Corry (1906-1989) was an Oregon landscape architect who worked predominantly in southern Oregon and is best known for his work at Ashland's Lithia Park. The Chester E. Corry papers contain landscape architecture plans for public areas and residential clients, some accompanying documentation for landscape projects, clippings, correspondence, and an autobiography.

Repository

University of Oregon Libraries, Special Collections and University Archives
UO Libraries--SCUA
1299 University of Oregon
Eugene OR
97403-1299
Telephone: 5413463068
spcarref@uoregon.edu

Access Restrictions

Collection is open to the public.

Collection must be used in Special Collections and University Archives Reading Room.

Collection or parts of collection may be stored offsite. Please contact Special Collections and University Archives in advance of your visit to allow for transportation time.

Additional Reference Guides

See the Current Collection Guide for detailed description and requesting options.

Languages

English

Sponsor

Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided by a Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) grant.

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Historical Note

Chester E. Corry (1906-1989) was an Oregon landscape architect who worked predominantly in southern Oregon. Corry is best known for his work at Ashland's Lithia Park. Born in Columbia, North Dakota, in 1906, Corry spent most of his childhood in Glendora, California. Corry received a professional degree in landscape architecture from Oregon Agricultural College (now Oregon State University) in 1930. During the early 1930s, Corry worked for Portland's Lambert Gardens and the National Park Service at Mt. Lassen. This experience enabled Corry to become Ashland's assistant park superintendent in 1936 and then park superintendent in 1937, a position he held until his retirement in 1969.

Lithia Park, originally designed by John McLaren, officially open in 1916. Guided by McLaren's plans and by implementing his own designs, Chester Corry worked to expand areas of the park and enhance its natural beauty. Following his retirement, Corry remained a consultant to the park until his death in 1989. Corry's legacy continues to have an impact on the park and in 2019, the Ashland Parks and Recreation Commission dubbed 1929-1969 the "Chet Corry Era" on their Cultural Legacy Timeline for Lithia Park.

Sources:

Ashland Parks and Recreation Commission. Lithia Park: The Next 100 Years. November 2019. https://www.ashland.or.us/SIB/files/APRC/2019/Lithia_Park_Master_Plan_Nov4_2019FinalDraftWeb.pdf

"Some Interesting Facts of the Chet Corry Story" autobiography, circa 1986-1986, Chester E. Corry papers, Coll 522, Special Collections and University Archives, University of Oregon Libraries, Eugene, Oregon.

Kerr, Molly Walker. "Chester Corry: 'Mr. Lithia Park.'" Southern Oregon Heritage Today. August 2001. https://www.sohs.org/sites/default/files/magazines/2001-08.pdf

Powers, Dennis. "The Jewel of Lithia Park." In Past & Present: What You Might Not Know (But Want To) About Southern Oregon History. 2013. http://southernoregonpastandpresent.com/articles/Lithia-Park.pdf

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Content Description

The plans series contains primarily hand-drawn plans, as well as office copies, for Corry's residential and public landscape architecture projects. Supplemental project materials including building and irrigation plans from other architects, cost estimates, and notes can also be found with some landscape design projects. Most projects were conducted in Ashland and Medford, Oregon, however several other areas, including 17 cities and counties in Oregon, five cities in California, and one city in Massachusetts, can be found among the plans. Public projects of note include Corry's designs for Lithia Park (Ashland, Oregon); several banks and schools in Ashland and Medford, Oregon; Yreka City Park (Yreka, California); and work commissioned by the Oregon Shakespearean Festival Association.

The personal papers series contains a photocopy of a Certificate of Appreciation presented to Chester Corry by the city council of Ashland, Oregon, correspondence, clippings related to Corry's work, and an autobiography entitled "Some Interesting Facts of the Chet Corry Story."

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