May 10, 2011: This year the club toured the grounds and rooftops of Harbour Square, the Modernist cooperative apartment complex that was designed by Washington architect Chloethiel Woodard Smith as part of the 1950s/1960s "urban renewal" of the DC waterfront. Long-time member Edee Hogan and her fellow gardeners at Harbour Square gave us a tour of the renovated landscaping and gardens.
Harbour Square centers on an extensive water garden.
There is also a woodlands garden which is surrounded by a loge which connects the water garden elevation to the "English" garden elevation.
We discussed what to do with the "English" garden. As a compromise with blowback from the wholesale destruction of this historic neighborhood, Smith incorporated Wheat Row and two other Federalist houses in the Harbour Square development, hence an "English" garden.
We then went to the roof to see a private rose garden and enjoy the spectacular views of Washington and the Potomac Valley. DC became magical as the sun set and the lights came on.
--photos by Bill Dean.
