Susan Child (1928–2018) was an American landscape architect. She completed many residential, public, and historic preservation projects in New England.

Personal life

Born in 1928 and raised in New England, Child had an early interest in art, gardening, and history. Her family would often vacation on a farm located along the estuary of

Westport River The Westport River lies between Narragansett Bay and Buzzards Bay in Westport, Massachusetts. Description The Westport River has two branches. The smaller West Branch is approximately long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Datas ...

in Massachusetts, which was built by her father-in-law, Josiah Child. According to th
Cultural Landscape Foundation
Susan Child “cites this farm as having the deepest impression on her sensitivity to the built environment.” Susan Child married Josiah Humphrey Child Junior, a Harvard graduate who worked in business. She then moved to Beacon Hill in

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

, where she raised her family and became an advocate for urban gardening prior to returning to education. Child went on to have three children; Susan Child, Margaret Child, and Josiah Child. She has six grandchildren; Lizzie Widdicombe, Abbott Cotton Widdicombe, Sue Widdicombe, Isabella Child, Sam Child, and Elizabeth Child Lubin. On November 13, 2018, Susan Child died in her home in New Haven, Connecticut.

Education

In 1950, Child graduated from

Vassar College Vassar College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Poughkeepsie, New York, United States. Founded in 1861 by Matthew Vassar, it was the second degree-granting institution of higher education for women in the United States. The college be ...

with an A.B. concentration in Art History and French. In 1975, Child graduated from the

Radcliffe Institute The Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University, also known as the Harvard Radcliffe Institute, is an institute of Harvard University that fosters interdisciplinary research across the humanities, sciences, social sciences, arts ...

with a graduate certificate in landscape and environmental design. There, she was particularly influenced by a course titled “Intellectual History of Garden Art,” taught by Diane McGuire. From 1975 to 1978, Child served as project manager with the City of

mayor's program for Revitalization of Vacant Lots (REVIVAL) and “The Greening of Boston” Neighborhood Improvement Program. She also coordinated several projects for the Parks and Recreation Department while working for the city. Child then went on to receive her master's degree in landscape architecture from the

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

Graduate School of Design Graduate may refer to: Education * The subject of a graduation, i.e. someone awarded an academic degree ** Alumni, a former student who has either attended or graduated from an institution * High school graduate, someone who has completed high ...

(GSD), graduating in 1981. While at Harvard, Child was mentored by the chair of the Landscape Architecture Department, Peter Walker. An exhibition on the work of landscape architect

Dan Kiley Daniel Urban Kiley (2 September 1912 – 21 February 2004) was an American landscape architect, who worked in the style of modern architecture. Kiley designed over one-thousand landscape projects including Gateway Arch National Park in St. Louis ...

, titled “Modern Classicist” at the GSD, also informed Child's design ethos.

Career

Following her graduation from Harvard, Child founded her firm Child, Hornbeck Associates, Inc. in Boston with her former professor Peter Hornbeck. Three years later, when Hornbeck left the company, she founded Child Associates Inc., Landscape Architecture with Harvard classmat
Douglas Reed
The firm's projects included historic preservation work (

Stan Hywet Hall Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens (70 acres) is a historic house museum in Akron, Ohio. The estate includes gardens, a greenhouse, carriage house, and the main mansion, one of the largest houses in the United States. A National Historic Landmark, it i ...

, 1984), residential projects (Richmond Garden, 1986–1988), and the South Cove at Battery Park in New York. For this latter project, Child partnered with artist Mary Miss and architect Stan Eckstut to design a 3.5 acre park at the

Hudson Hudson may refer to: People * Hudson (given name) * Hudson (surname) * Hudson (footballer, born 1986), Hudson Fernando Tobias de Carvalho, Brazilian football right-back * Hudson (footballer, born 1988), Hudson Rodrigues dos Santos, Brazilian f ...

riverfront that recalled the natural coves of the northeastern landscape. Child's work influenced many other landscape architects, including Anita Berrizbeitia, Chris Moyles, and John Grove.

Awards and honors

Child has won thirteen National Design Awards from 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). In 2011, Child was inducted as a Fellow of the ASLA.

Major works

, Akron OH (1984) * D.W. Field Park, Brockton MA (1985–1989) * Richmond Garden, Berkshires MA (1986–1988) * Grand Isle Residence, Lake Champlain VT (1988–1991)
South Cove
at

Battery Park The Battery, formerly known as Battery Park, is a public park located at the southern tip of Manhattan#Manhattan Island, Manhattan Island in New York City facing New York Harbor. The park is bounded by Battery Place on the north, with Bowling ...

, New York NY (1985–1989) * Weir Farm, Wilton CT (1992–1997) * Franklin Park, Boston MA (1995–1998)
The Mount: Edith Wharton's Home
Lenox MA (1999)

Selected bibliography

Serrano, Nicholas. "Susan Child." The Cultural Landscape Foundation. https://tclf.org/susan-child Griswold, Mac. “Simple Gifts.” Garden Design 12, no. 5 (1993): 40–47. Child, Susan. “Most Influential Landscapes.” Landscape Journal 12 (Fall 1993): 187. Hiss, Tony. "At Land's Edge: A Contentment of Light and Shape." New York Times. Oct. 19, 1990. https://www.nytimes.com/1990/10/19/arts/at-land-s-edge-a-contentment-of-light-and-shape.html Kirkwood, Niall. “Abstracting Nature's Details: a planted path along a cove.” ''The Art of Landscape Detail.'' New York: John Wiley & Sons, 1999: 294–306. "Landscape Architect Susan Child Passes Away." LAND ASLA. November 27, 2018. https://www.asla.org/land/LandArticle.aspx?id=54570 Trulove, James Grayson. ''The New American Garden: Innovations in Residential Landscape Architecture.'' New York: Whitney Library of Design, 1998: 36–49.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Child, Susan 1928 births 2018 deaths American women landscape architects American landscape architects American landscape and garden designers Vassar College alumni Harvard Graduate School of Design alumni