Stanley Hart White was a professor of
Landscape Architecture at the University of Illinois from 1922 to 1959
and the inventor of the
green wall.
Career
White called his invention "Botanical Bricks" and developed prototypes in his backyard in Urbana, Illinois. Stanley's brother
E.B. White
Elwyn Brooks White (July 11, 1899 – October 1, 1985) was an American writer. He was the author of several highly popular books for children, including ''Stuart Little'' (1945), '' Charlotte's Web'' (1952), and ''The Trumpet of the Swan'' ...
documented the invention in his 1937 letter to Katherine S. White, writing, “I guess everyone has crazy brothers and sisters. I know I have. Stan, by the way, has taken out a patent on an invention of his called ‘Botanical Bricks,’ which are simply plant units capable of being built up to any height, for quick landscape effects, the vertical surfaces covered with flowering vines, or the like. He thinks that the idea has great possibilities for such things as world fairs, city yards, indoor gardens, and many other projects. I think perhaps he has got hold of something, and have written him for more information. He certainly deserves a break.”
Stanley refined the vertical garden typology with his patent for the "vegetation-Bearing Architectonic Structure and System (1938)" in which he outlined the scope for a new field of vegetation-bearing architecture. The impact of this invention has still unrealized provocations on this history of gardens and designed landscapes, establishing precedent for verdant modernism in the prewar Middle West. The wall was reconstructed in 2012-13 as part of a
Graham Foundation Research Award.
Stanley Hart White is also known for his innovative teaching style and his influence on the work of
Richard Haag
Richard Haag (October 23, 1923 – May 9, 2018) was an American landscape architect. He worked on Gas Works Park in Seattle, Washington and on the Bloedel Reserve on Bainbridge Island. Furthermore, he founded the Landscape Architecture Program ...
,
Hideo Sasaki
Hideo Sasaki (25 November 1919 – 30 August 2000) was a Japanese American landscape architect.
Biography
Hideo Sasaki was born in Reedley, California, on 25 November 1919. He grew up working on his family's California truck farm, and harvestin ...
, Peter Walker, Stu Dawson,
Philip H. Lewis Jr.
Philip Howard Lewis Jr. (September 4, 1925 – July 2, 2017) was an ''emeritus'' professor of landscape architecture who promoted the "environmental corridor" concept. He taught for more than 40 years at the University of Illinois (1953–1963) ...
, and numerous others.
[Hindle, Richard L.]
Stanley Hart White and the question of ‘What is Modern
’." Studies in the History of Gardens & Designed Landscapes 33.3 (2013): 170-177.
Personal life
Stanley Hart White married Blanche Bigney; they had one daughter, Janice Hart White, an accomplished artist. As E. B. White's niece, Janice was an inspiration for the title character in
Stuart Little
''Stuart Little'' is a 1945 American children's novel by E. B. White. It was White's first children's book, and it is now widely recognized as a classic in children's literature. ''Stuart Little'' was illustrated by the subsequently award-winnin ...
, Harper and Brothers, 1945.
See also
*
Florence Bell Robinson
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:White, Stanley Hart
American landscape architects
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign faculty
People from Brooklyn
Harvard Graduate School of Design alumni
Cornell University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences alumni
1891 births
1979 deaths