Cary Millholland Parker (1902–2001) was an American

landscape architect A landscape architect is a person who is educated in the field of landscape architecture. The practice of landscape architecture includes: site analysis, site inventory, site planning, land planning, planting design, grading, storm water manage ...

based in Washington, D.C.

Education and personal life

Cary Blunt Millholland was born in Cumberland, Maryland, on December 11, 1902. She was one of five children of James Allaire and Harriet (or Harriett) Woodward Millholland. She graduated from

Wellesley College Wellesley College is a Private university, private Women's colleges in the United States, historically women's Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Wellesley, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1870 by Henr ...

in 1924 and then continued her studies informally while traveling around Europe and East Asia. Her travels in Asia developed her interest in trees as a landscape element. She went on to enroll in the landscape architecture program at the Cambridge School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture, from which she graduated in 1934. In 1954, she married Newton Belmont Parker, who died in 1993. She died on January 21, 2001.

Career

After obtaining her degree in landscape architecture, she worked in several different temporary jobs: for architect Gertrude Sawyer, for landscape architects Ellen Shipman and Rose Greely, and for the Historic American Buildings Survey. In 1937, she opened her own practice in Washington, D.C., which she ran for five years while also doing freelance drafting work for other firms around town. Parker worked for the

U.S. War Department The United States Department of War, also called the War Department (and occasionally War Office in the early years), was the United States Cabinet department originally responsible for the operation and maintenance of the United States Army, als ...

during World War II, initially as a draftsperson and later overseeing the fabrication of relief maps for the

Office of Strategic Services The Office of Strategic Services (OSS) was the first intelligence agency of the United States, formed during World War II. The OSS was formed as an agency of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) to coordinate espionage activities behind enemy lines ...

. After the war, she reopened her practice, which continued (with interruptions) until 1975. During the 1950s, Parker's husband was stationed in Central America, and she accompanied him there, living in Nicaragua and Guatemala, where she collected orchids. After their return to the United States, she taught at the

Catholic University of America The Catholic University of America (CUA) is a private Catholic research university in Washington, D.C., United States. It is one of two pontifical universities of the Catholic Church in the United States – the only one that is not primarily a ...

(1960–1963). Parker's landscape design projects include the central plaza at St. John’s College in Maryland;

The Octagon House The Octagon House, also known as the Colonel John Tayloe III House, is a house located at 1799 New York Avenue, Northwest in the Foggy Bottom neighborhood of Washington, D.C. It was built in 1799 for John Tayloe III, the wealthiest planter in ...

in Washington, D.C.; and elements of Point Farm in Calvert County, Maryland, which is now the Jefferson Patterson Park & Museum. She created the original plan for a garden for U.S. Secretary of State

Christian Herter Christian Archibald Herter (March 28, 1895December 30, 1966) was an American diplomat and Republican politician who was the 59th governor of Massachusetts from 1953 to 1957 and United States Secretary of State from 1959 to 1961. He served as p ...

, later expanded on by landscape architect

Perry Hunt Wheeler Perry Hunt Wheeler (5 October 1913 – 1989) was an American landscape architect who is primarily known for several garden projects in Washington, D.C., including the White House Rose Garden. He was born in Cordele, Georgia to John L. and Sarah W ...

. She also worked with First Lady

Lady Bird Johnson Claudia Alta "Lady Bird" Johnson (; December 22, 1912 – July 11, 2007) was First Lady of the United States from 1963 to 1969 as the wife of President Lyndon B. Johnson. She had previously been Second Lady of the United States from 1961 to 196 ...

on several projects for beautifying Washington, D.C. Parker was active in the

American Society of Landscape Architects The American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) is a professional association for landscape architects in the United States. The ASLA's mission is to advance landscape architecture through advocacy, communication, education, and fellowship. ...

(ASLA), serving at various times as secretary, vice-president, and trustee of the Potomac chapter. She was elected a fellow of the ASLA in 1965. She was also a member of

Society of Woman Geographers The Society of Woman Geographers was established in 1925 at a time when women were excluded from membership in most professional organizations, such as the Explorers Club, who would not admit women until 1981. It is based in Washington, D.C., and ...

(SWG) and the

Garden Club of America The Garden Club of America is a nonprofit organization made up of around 18,000 club members and 200 local garden clubs around the United States. Founded in 1913, by Elizabeth Price Martin and Ernestine Abercrombie Goodman, it promotes the recordi ...

, which honored her with its Medal of Merit. As part of an oral histories project, the Society of Woman Geographers conducted an interview with Parker in 1993; the interview by Ada Currier is in the SWG archives.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Parker, Cary Milholland American landscape architects American landscape and garden designers Architects from Cumberland, Maryland 1902 births 2001 deaths Members of the Society of Woman Geographers American women landscape architects