| Repository: | Western Reserve Historical Society |
| Creator: | Gray, A. Donald |
| Title: | A. Donald Gray Photographs |
| Dates: | 1922-1939 |
| Extent: | 1.20 linear feet (4 containers) |
| Abstract: | A. Donald Gray (1891-1939) was a landscape architect and designer in Cleveland, Ohio, from 1920-1939. Gray worked briefly with Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr., in Brookline, Massachusetts, before establishing a landscape architecture practice in Cleveland. He designed many private gardens and estates for some of the most elite families of Cleveland and its outlying suburbs, including the noted private development of Fairhill Rd. houses in 1931. Gray was also the landscape designer for several public projects, including the Cedar-Central apartments, the first federal public-housing project in the nation, and many of Cleveland's public parks. Perhaps his most notable achievement was the creation of the WPA-funded Horticultural Gardens for the Great Lakes Exposition, 1936-1937, some of which remain on the site north of Cleveland's Municipal Stadium. The gardens were named for Gray as a memorial after his death. Gray took several trips to England, South America, Mexico and elsewhere throughout his career to study the landscaping of great houses and public places. He also contributed a regular gardening column to the Cleveland Press during the mid-1930s. The collection consists of individual and group portraits of A. Donald Gray, his friends and business associates; views of his landscaping projects; scenes from the Great Lakes Exposition, and vacation photographs. Included in the oversize materials are images of his garden and landscaping designs for several Cleveland, Ohio families. Four of these photographs were taken by Margaret Bourke-White. |
| PG Number | PG 458 |
| Location: | closed stacks |
| Language: | The records are in English |
A. Donald Gray [Albert Donald Gray] (1891-1939), was a prominent landscape architect, designer, and gardening expert. He operated a profitable landscaping business in Cleveland, Ohio, from 1920-1939. Gray was born in Tyrone, Pennsylvania. He received his Bachelor of Science degree from Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. Gray went on to study at Harvard University and later studied under nationally-known landscape architect, Fredrick Law Olmsted Jr., in the Olmsted Bros. firm in Brookline, Massachusetts. After coming to Cleveland in 1920, Gray soon became the landscape architect of choice for many of Cleveland's most prominent families, including, William S. Halle, Mrs. Leonard C. Hanna, Edwin C. Higbee, Crispen Oglebay, John Sherwin, and the Van Sweringen brothers. In Columbus, Ohio, Gray designed gardens for Simon, Fred, and Robert Lazarus. In 1931, Gray designed landscaping for the homes along Fairhill Road in Cleveland, where he also lived for several years. During The Depression, Gray became involved with work on Works Progress Administration (WPA)-funded projects, including: the Cedar-Center apartments (the nation's first federal public housing projects) and Forest Hill Park. He also designed the chain of Cleveland's Cultural Gardens in Rockefeller Park, and was closely involved with the construction of Cleveland's Metro Parks system. On Jan. 11, 1928, Donald Gray married Florence Ball, daughter of Webb C. Ball, the owner of the Webb C. Ball Jewelry Co. They had one daughter, Virginia, who was born in 1931. The height of Donald Gray's career came in 1936 and 1937, when he designed the WPA-funded Horticultural Gardens for Cleveland's Great Lakes Exposition, when Cleveland celebrated 100 years of incorporation as a city. In 1993, these gardens now known as the A. Donald Gray Memorial Gardens constitute the only remaining part of the exposition on a site north of Cleveland Stadium. During the 1930s, Gray, along with a group of civic-minded citizens, worked on preserving Dunham Tavern from destruction. Located at 6709 Euclid Avenue, Dunham Tavern, built in 1842, was Cleveland's oldest building that remained in its original state. Gray wrote gardening advice columns for The Cleveland Press, Akron Times-Press, and Youngstown Vindicator; as well as articles for several gardening magazines. At the age of 48, A. Donald Gray suffered a sudden, massive heart attack and died on Tuesday morning, May 30, 1939.
click here to view the Encyclopedia of Cleveland History entry for A. Donald Gray
The A. Donald Gray Photographs, 1922-1939 and undated, consist of individual and group portraits of A. Donald Gray, his friends and business associates; views of his landscaping projects; scenes from the Great Lakes Exposition, and vacation photographs. Included in the oversize materials are images of his garden and landscaping designs for several Cleveland, Ohio families. Four of these photographs were taken by Margaret Bourke-White. The collection includes approximately 2,000 black and white photographs of varying sizes.
None.
Related MaterialThe researcher should also consult MS 3470 A. Donald Gray Papers; and PG 113 A. Donald Gray Landscape Photographs.
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.
[Container ___, Folder ___ ] PG 458 A. Donald Gray Photographs, Western Reserve Historical Society, Cleveland, Ohio
These photographs were removed from MS 3470 A. Donald Gray Papers.
Series I: Standard Size Photographs 1923-1939 undated |
|||||||||||
| Box | Folder | ||||||||||
| 1 | 1 | Portraits, including A. Donald Gray; L. S. Randolph (Tulsa, Oklahoma), 1924; and Frank Stranahan, 1931 1924 1931 | |||||||||
| 1 | 2 | Design project, Bucknell University, Lewisville, Pennsylvania 1936-1938 | |||||||||
| 1 | 3 | Design project, Children's Hospital, Erie, Pennsylvania 1927 | |||||||||
| 1 | 3 | Design project, Fairmount Road home, Cleveland Heights, Ohio 1930 | |||||||||
| 1 | 3 | Design project, Great Lakes Exposition, Cleveland, Ohio 1936-1937 | |||||||||
| 1 | 3 | Design project, Edwin C. Higbee home 1931-1932 | |||||||||
| 1 | 3 | Design project, Albert David Ingals home undated | |||||||||
| 1 | 3 | Design project, Richard Maher home 1934 | |||||||||
| 1 | 3 | Design project, L. S. Randolph home, Tulsa, Oklahoma 1923 | |||||||||
| 1 | 4 | Reference photographs, Certified Qualified Homes development 1937 | |||||||||
| 1 | 5 | Reference photographs, Van Sweringen Company 1928-1929 | |||||||||
| 1 | 5 | Reference photographs, Yorktown Manor Hotel, Yorktown, Virginia 1925-1928 | |||||||||
| 1 | 5 | Reference photographs, unidentified gardens undated | |||||||||
| 1 | 6 | Reference photographs, Halrow House, Fairmount Court 1932 | |||||||||
| 1 | 6 | Reference photographs, Old Methodist Church (Grade School), East 105th Street, Cleveland undated | |||||||||
| 1 | 6 | Reference photographs, Palmer House undated | |||||||||
| 1 | 6 | Reference photographs, Dunham Tavern, Cleveland, Ohio March 24, 1932 | |||||||||
| 1 | 7 | Trip, Louisiana 1934-1939 | |||||||||
| 1 | 8 | Trip, Guatemala 1938 | |||||||||
Series II: Albums 1922-1939 |
|||||||||||
| Box | Folder | ||||||||||
| 1 | 9-13 | Great Lakes Exhibition, Cleveland, Ohio 1936-1937 | |||||||||
| Box | Folder | ||||||||||
| 2 | 14 | Trip, Florida 1922 | |||||||||
| 2 | 15 | Trip, Nassau 1923 | |||||||||
| 2 | 16 | Trip, Mexico 1935 | |||||||||
| Box | Folder | ||||||||||
| 3 | 17 | Trip, Guatemala 1938 | |||||||||
| 3 | 18 | Trip, South America January-February 1939 | |||||||||
Series III: Oversize Photographs 1925-1937 |
|||||||||||
| Box | Folder | ||||||||||
| 4 | 19 | Portraits, testimonial luncheon in honor of Captain Jacob Perkins, William Gwinn Mather, E. H. Hopkins, H. C. Baehr, and the officials of the Horticultural Garden Committee July 10, 1936 | |||||||||
| 4 | 19 | Portraits, Allyn R. Jennings, Superintendent of New York City Parks Department at Municipal Airport of Cleveland, during his inspection of Cleveland parks April 10, 1937 | |||||||||
| 4 | 19 | Portraits, unidentified man and woman (removed from disassembled album) undated | |||||||||
| 4 | 19 | Portraits, Great Lakes Exposition (removed from disassembled album) 1936-1937 | |||||||||
| 4 | 20 | Reference photographs, J. P. Burton (3 photographs by Margaret Bourke-White (originals removed to vault) 1928 | |||||||||
| 4 | 20 | Reference photographs, Oglebay Crispen 1928 | |||||||||
| 4 | 20 | Reference photographs, J. E. Ferris 1925 | |||||||||
| 4 | 20 | Reference photographs, L. C. Hanna 1925-1926 | |||||||||
| 4 | 20 | Reference photographs, J. H. Hislop, Columbus, Ohio 1926 | |||||||||
| 4 | 20 | Reference photographs, H. J. Kauffman, Columbus, Ohio 1926 | |||||||||
| 4 | 20 | Reference photographs, Simon Lazarus, Columbus, Ohio 1926 | |||||||||
| 4 | 20 | Reference photographs, John Sherwin (original by Margaret Bourke-White removed to the vault) 1928 | |||||||||
| 4 | 20 | Reference photographs, T. L. Sidlo 1925 | |||||||||
| 4 | 20 | Reference photographs, R. W. White 1926 | |||||||||
| 4 | 20 | Reference photographs, Dr. R. S. Young 1926 | |||||||||
| 4 | 20 | Reference photographs, unidentified home 1931 | |||||||||