Image courtesy of The Cultural Landscape Foundation.
Often referred to as “the matriarch of landscape architecture in the Pacific Northwest,” Barbara Vorse Fealy was an accomplished landscape architect and the first woman in Oregon elected as a fellow of the American Society of Landscape Architects.
With the notable exception of the Portland Garden in Yurigahara Park in Sapporo, Japan, Fealy largely worked in Oregon. Although many of her projects were residential in nature, she did design a number of high-profile public spaces. Several of her designs have been listed in the National Register of Historic Places, including the landscape design for Timberline Lodge, which is a National Historic Landmark.
Other Oregon projects include her landscape design work for the Oregon College of Art and Craft, Catlin Gabel School, Leach Botanical Garden, Waverly Country Club, and the World Forestry Center (previously known as the Western Forestry Center.) Projects outside of Portland included Eagle Crest Resort in Redmond, Oregon and Salishan Resort in Gleneden Beach.
Records from Fealy’s long and productive career are housed with the University of Oregon Library Special Collections and University Archives.
Photo Above: Barbara Vorse Fealy, courtesy of The Cultural Landscape Foundation.
To learn more about Barbara Fealy’s life and work, we suggest beginning by listening to this oral history conducted in 1987, viewing the contents of this digital archive, tracking down a copy of this book, or reading this article by Restore Oregon Modernism Committee member Marisa Swenson. And if you might be interested in restoring a Barbara Fealy landscape of your own, this property is currently for sale in Portland’s Dunthorpe neighborhood!