Charles Freeman Gillette (1886–1969) was a prominent landscape architect in the upper South who specialized in the creation of grounds supporting

Colonial Revival The Colonial Revival architectural style seeks to revive elements of American colonial architecture. The beginnings of the Colonial Revival style are often attributed to the Centennial Exhibition of 1876, which reawakened Americans to the archi ...

architecture, particularly in

Richmond, Virginia (Thus do we reach the stars) , image_map = , mapsize = 250 px , map_caption = Location within Virginia , pushpin_map = Virginia#USA , pushpin_label = Richmond , pushpin_m ...

. He is associated with the restoration and re-creation of historic gardens in the upper South and especially Virginia. He is known for having established a regional style—known as the "Virginia Garden."

Biography

In 1909-1911, Gillette served as an apprentice in the office of

Warren H. Manning Warren Henry Manning (November 7, 1860–February 5, 1938) was an American landscape designer and promoter of the informal and naturalistic "wild garden" approach to garden design. In his designs, Manning emphasized pre-existing flora through a ...

, a leading early-20th century landscape architect. Gillette moved to Richmond in 1913 to supervise the completion of Manning's landscape design for the

University of Richmond The University of Richmond (UR or U of R) is a private liberal arts college in Richmond, Virginia. It is a primarily undergraduate, residential institution with approximately 4,350 undergraduate and graduate students in five schools: the School ...

's new campus. In 1915, he began designing the grounds of the Nelson House in

Yorktown, Virginia Yorktown is a census-designated place (CDP) in York County, Virginia. It is the county seat of York County, one of the eight original shires formed in colonial Virginia in 1682. Yorktown's population was 195 as of the 2010 census, while York Cou ...

. In 1924, he commenced work on the landscape restoration of Kenmore in

Fredericksburg, Virginia Fredericksburg is an independent city located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 27,982. The Bureau of Economic Analysis of the United States Department of Commerce combines the city of Fredericksburg wi ...

. A few years later, he initiated plans for the landscaping of Virginia House and Agecroft, both reconstructed English manor houses located in Richmond's Windsor Farms neighborhood. Extensive additions to the Virginia House gardens were completed in 1939. During the 1950s, Gillette redesigned the gardens of Virginia's Executive Mansion at the request of Governor

Thomas B. Stanley Thomas Bahnson Stanley (July 16, 1890 – July 10, 1970) was an American politician, furniture manufacturer and Holstein cattle breeder. A Democrat and member of the Byrd Organization, Stanley served in a number of different political offices ...

. In 1958, he designed the grounds for the

Reynolds Metals Company International Headquarters The Reynolds Metals Company International Headquarters is an International Style building complex set in a composed landscape in Henrico County, near Richmond, Virginia, completed in 1958. The low-rise Executive Office Building was designed by Go ...

located at Richmond. His commissions also included hundreds of residential projects throughout Virginia and North Carolina.Library of Virginia: About the Charles F. Gillette Photograph Collection
/ref> A number of his works are for properties listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

In popular culture

Author

Tom Wolfe Thomas Kennerly Wolfe Jr. (March 2, 1930 – May 14, 2018)Some sources say 1931; ''The New York Times'' and Reuters both initially reported 1931 in their obituaries before changing to 1930. See and was an American author and journalist widely ...

references Gillette as the commissioned landscaper of Dupont University in ''

I Am Charlotte Simmons ''I Am Charlotte Simmons'' is a 2004 novel by Tom Wolfe, concerning sexual and status relationships at the fictional Dupont University. Wolfe researched the novel by talking to students at North Carolina, Florida, Penn, Duke, Stanford, and Michi ...

''.

Selected works

(1913), Richmond, VA * Nelson House (1915), Yorktown, Virginia *

Casa Maria Casa Maria is a historic estate located near Greenwood, Albemarle County, Virginia, United States. The main house was built 1921–1922 in the Spanish-Mediterranean style, with a two-story brick addition that dates from 1928, and was designed ...

(1921-1922), Greenwood, VA * Blue Ridge Farm (1923-1924), Greenwood, VA * Sunken Garden (Virginia) (1923-1924), Williamsburg, Virginia * Kenmore (1924), Fredericksburg, Virginia * Agecroft Hall (1926), Richmond, VA * MacCallum More and Hudgins House Historic District gardens (1927),

Chase City, Virginia Chase City is a town in Mecklenburg County, Virginia, United States. Chase City was incorporated in 1873 and named for Salmon P. Chase, United States Chief Justice and Lincoln's Secretary of the Treasury. The population was 2,351 at the 2010 cens ...

Belfield
(1929-1930),

Lexington, Virginia Lexington is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. At the 2020 census, the population was 7,320. It is the county seat of Rockbridge County, although the two are separate jurisdictions. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines ...

Gallison Hall Gallison Hall is a historic home located near Charlottesville in Albemarle County, Virginia, United States. It was designed by the architect Stanhope Johnson in the Georgian Revival style, and built between 1931 and 1933. It consists of a 2½-s ...

(1931-1933),

Charlottesville, VA Charlottesville, colloquially known as C'ville, is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is the county seat of Albemarle County, which surrounds the city, though the two are separate legal entities. It is named after Queen Cha ...

* Windemere (1860),

Richmond, VA (Thus do we reach the stars) , image_map = , mapsize = 250 px , map_caption = Location within Virginia , pushpin_map = Virginia#USA , pushpin_label = Richmond , pushpin_m ...

* Midway (Millington, Virginia) (1936), Millington, VA *

(1958), Richmond, VA *

Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden is a , botanical garden in Henrico County, just outside of Richmond, Virginia. It features over a dozen themed gardens, a conservatory, library, and café. Regular daily admission is $17 for adults, $14 for seniors, $ ...

, Richmond, VA * Glen Alpine in the Cifax Rural Historic District, Cifax, Virginia * Oak Grove (Eastville, Virginia), Eastville, VA * E. Hervey Evans House (1939), Laurinburg, NC * Monroe Ward, Richmond, VA * John Whitworth House, Richmond, VA * Longview Gardens Historic District *

Meadowbrook Country Club (Chesterfield County, Virginia) Meadowbrook Country Club (Chesterfield County, Virginia) is a private golf and social club located at 3700 Cogbill Road in Richmond, Virginia. The club was formed in 1957. History of the estate The Meadowbrook Country Club was once Meadowbr ...

References

External links

The Cultural Landscape Foundation: Charles Freeman GilletteGarden and Gun: "Gillette's Gem"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gillette, Charles F. American landscape architects Architects from Richmond, Virginia 1886 births 1969 deaths Preservationist architects People from Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin 20th-century American architects Architects from Wisconsin