Jean-Claude Nicolas Forestier (9 January 1861 – 26 October 1930) was a French

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 ...

who trained with Adolphe Alphand and became conservator of the promenades of Paris.

Works

Forestier studied at the École Polytechnique de Paris from 1880 to 1882. He also studied at the

École libre des sciences politiques Sciences Po () or Sciences Po Paris, also known as the Paris Institute of Political Studies (), is a public research university located in Paris, France, that holds the status of ''grande école'' and the legal status of . The university's unde ...

, and at the École forestière de Nancy. Forestier worked as a civil servant for the City of Paris from 1887-1927. There, he worked on the

Bois de Vincennes The Bois de Vincennes (), located on the eastern edge of Paris, France, is the largest public park in the city. It was created between 1855 and 1866 by Emperor Napoleon III. The park is next to the Château de Vincennes, a former residence of ...

(1889), the

Bois de Boulogne The Bois de Boulogne (, "Boulogne woodland") is a large public park that is the western half of the 16th arrondissement of Paris, near the suburb of Boulogne-Billancourt and Neuilly-sur-Seine. The land was ceded to the city of Paris by the Em ...

and the western sector of the Promenades de Paris (1898). He also worked on the Avenue de Breteuil (1898) and developed an arboretum at

Vincennes Vincennes (; ) is a commune in the Val-de-Marne department in the eastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris. Vincennes is famous for its castle: the Château de Vincennes. It is next to but does not include the ...

and the gardens of the Champ-de-Mars below the

Eiffel Tower The Eiffel Tower ( ; ) is a wrought-iron lattice tower on the Champ de Mars in Paris, France. It is named after the engineer Gustave Eiffel, whose company designed and built the tower from 1887 to 1889. Locally nicknamed "''La dame de fe ...

. Forestier also did design projects in the

French Protectorate of Morocco French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

. Forestier also worked in Spain, setting up gardens in

Seville Seville ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Spain, Spanish autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the Guadalquivir, River Guadalquivir, ...

including the

Maria Luisa Park Maria may refer to: People * Mary, mother of Jesus * Maria (given name), a popular given name in many languages Place names Extraterrestrial * 170 Maria, a Main belt S-type asteroid discovered in 1877 * Lunar maria (plural of ''mare''), large, ...

(1914) which showcased botanicals, French geometry and Latin and Islamic design and decoration. The park also includes an honorary statue of Forestier. In

Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...

, Forestier designed the gardens of Montjuic, including Laribel Park, the Miramar gardens, and the Greek Theatre Gardens. Elsewhere in Barcelona, he worked on Pedralbes Park (1916). Forestier introduced several

ornamental plant Ornamental plants or ''garden plants'' are plants that are primarily grown for their beauty but also for qualities such as scent or how they shape physical space. Many flowering plants and garden varieties tend to be specially bred cultivars th ...

s to

Catalonia Catalonia is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a ''nationalities and regions of Spain, nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia of 2006, Statute of Autonomy. Most of its territory (except the Val d'Aran) is situate ...

, such as

rosewood Rosewood is any of a number of richly hued hardwoods, often brownish with darker veining, but found in other colours. It is hard, tough, strong, and dense. True rosewoods come from trees of the genus '' Dalbergia'', but other woods are often ca ...

. Throughout Barcelona, he worked closely with

Maria Rubió i Tudurí Maria may refer to: People * Mary, mother of Jesus * Maria (given name), a popular given name in many languages Place names Extraterrestrial *170 Maria, a Main belt S-type asteroid discovered in 1877 *Lunar maria (plural of ''mare''), large, da ...

. Forestier also worked in private commissions, such as the

Palacio de Liria The Liria Palace ( Spanish: ''Palacio de Liria'') is a neoclassical palace in Madrid, Spain. It is the Madrid residence of the Dukes of Alba. History Built around 1770 to a design by the architect Ventura Rodríguez, it was commissioned by Ja ...

(1916) in

Madrid Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...

and the gardens of La Casa del Rey Moro in

Ronda Ronda () is a Municipalities in Spain, municipality of Spain belonging to the province of Málaga, within the autonomous community of Andalusia. Its population is about 35,000. Ronda is known for its cliffside location and a deep canyon that ca ...

. In 1923, he also made a plan for the improvement of

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...

and the seaside town of

Ostende, Buenos Aires Ostende is a seaside resort on the Argentine Sea, Atlantic coast of Argentina belonging to the Pinamar Partido. The town limits to the north with the city of Pinamar, to the northeast with Mar de Ostende, to the south with Valeria del Mar, to the ...

. In 1925 he became Inspector of Gardens for the International Exhibition of Decorative Arts and undertook projects in the Americas. In 1925, he moved to

Havana Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.El Capitolio The National Capitol of Cuba, also known as ''Capitolio Nacional de La Habana (National Capitol of La Habana)'', and often simply referred to as ''El Capitolio'' ''(The Capitol)'', is a public edifice in Havana, the capital of Cuba. The buildin ...

and worked on the master plan of the city, aiming to create a harmonic balance between classical forms and the tropical landscape. He embraced and connected the city's road networks while accentuating prominent landmarks. He had great influence in Havana, although many of his ideas were cut short by the great depression in 1929. In 1927, Forestier began working with the city of

Lisbon Lisbon ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 567,131, as of 2023, within its administrative limits and 3,028,000 within the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, metropolis, as of 2025. Lisbon is mainlan ...

on garden design and urban planning. Forestier's Haussmanian tradition and tendencies towards monumentality were popular with cities looking to represent ideas of

nationalism Nationalism is an idea or movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the state. As a movement, it presupposes the existence and tends to promote the interests of a particular nation, Smith, Anthony. ''Nationalism: Theory, I ...

in their design. Forestier developed an urban plan and road system articulating from the

Avenida da Liberdade Avenida da Liberdade ( Portuguese for ''"Avenue of Liberty"'') is a boulevard in central Lisbon, Portugal. It ranks among the most expensive streets in Europe, with property costing over €9,000 per sqm. Originating in the '' Passeio Públic ...

. Although his plans were not implemented, his ideas influenced future urban planning in Lisbon. His last major project was the garden of the Bastide du Roy for the Princess of Polignac near Biot. The scholar Vincent Casals Costa argues that Forestier's practical model of urban design is that of a "city-park." It includes features such as the park as a framework within a monumental city which follows Fredric Law Olmsted's avenues model, internal division within the city, and regional elements, and functionality.

Writings

* FORESTIER Jean Claude Nicolas, ''Grandes villes et systèmes de parcs'', Paris, Hachette, 1908, 50p. * FORESTIER Jean Claude Nicolas, ''Grandes villes et systèmes de parcs'', Paris, Norma, rééd. du texte de 1908 présentée par B. Leclerc et S. Tarrago, 1997, 383p. * FORESTIER Jean Claude Nicolas, ''Jardins,[carnet de plans et de croquis'', Paris, Ed Picard, 1994. * LECLERC Bénédicte, ''Jean Claude Nicolas FORESTIER,1861-1930, du Jardin au paysage urbain'', Paris, Ed Picard, 2000, 283p. * LECLERC Bénédicte, ''Jean Claude Nicolas FORESTIER,1861-1930, La science des jardins au service de l’art urbain'', Revue Pages Paysages, N°2, 1988–89, p24-29. * LECLERC Bénédicte, ''Jardin, Paysage, urbanisme : la mission de Jean C-N Forestier au Maroc en 1913'', Nancy, Ed Ecole d’architecture de Nancy, 1993, s-p. * LE DANTEC Jean-Pierre, ''Le Sauvage et le régulier. Art des jardins et paysagisme en France au XXième siècle'', Paris, Ed du Moniteur, 2002, p93 à 101.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Forestier, Jean-Claude Nicolas 1861 births 1930 deaths People from Aix-les-Bains École Polytechnique alumni Sciences Po alumni French urban planners French landscape architects Officers of the Legion of Honour Modernist architects from France Architects from Havana

Works

See also

Writings

References