Morris Arboretum

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Morris Arboretum & Gardens
Morris Arboretum.jpg
A bridge at the Morris Arboretum
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Morris Arboretum
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Morris Arboretum
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Morris Arboretum
Type Arboretum
Location100 East Northwestern Avenue, Philadelphia and Whitemarsh Township, Pennsylvania
Coordinates 40°05′23″N75°13′27″W / 40.08972°N 75.22417°W / 40.08972; -75.22417
Area92 acres (37 ha)
Opened1887 (1887)
Operated by University of Pennsylvania
Website www.morrisarboretum.org
Compton and Bloomfield
Area175 acres (71 ha)
Built1889
Architect Theophilus Parsons Chandler Jr.; Wilson Eyre Jr., et al.
Architectural styleClassical Revival, Late Gothic Revival
NRHP reference No. 78002445 [1]
Added to NRHPDecember 22, 1978

The Morris Arboretum & Gardens of the University of Pennsylvania (37 ha / 92 acres) is the official arboretum of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The Arboretum is open daily except for major holidays. It is located at 100 East Northwestern Avenue, Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Contents

History

The Arboretum was formerly the estate of John T. (1847-1915) and Lydia T. Morris (1849-1932), a brother and sister who purchased and landscaped much of the arboretum's current site beginning in 1887. John Morris was interested in growing plants from around the world, including those collected in China by E. H. Wilson around 1900, and many of today's specimens date to Morris' original plantings. The estate became a public arboretum in 1933, after Lydia Morris' death. [2]

Collection

Metasequoia glyptostroboides (dawn redwoods) A642, Metasequoia glyptostroboides, the dawn redwood, Morris Arboretum, Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia, 2018.jpg
Metasequoia glyptostroboides (dawn redwoods)

Today the arboretum contains more than 13,000 labelled plants of over 2,500 types, representing the temperate floras of North America, Asia, and Europe, with a primary focus on Asia. Significant collections include native azaleas, conifers, hollies, magnolia species, maples, roses, and witch hazels. The arboretum has identified 17 trees in its collection as outstanding specimens: Abies cephalonica , Abies holophylla , Acer buergerianum , Aesculus flava , Cedrus libani var. atlantica 'Glauca', Cercidiphyllum japonicum , Fagus engleriana , Fagus sylvatica f. pendula, Metasequoia glyptostroboides , Pinus bungeana , Platanus × acerifolia, Quercus alba , Quercus × benderi, Tsuga canadensis f. pendula, Ulmus glabra 'Horizontalis', Ulmus parvifolia , and Zelkova serrata .

Features

The arboretum is set within a fine, mature landscape, primarily designed in the English park style but with Japanese influences. It includes winding paths and streams, a swan pond, formal rose gardens, and large sweeps of azaleas, rhododendrons, and magnolias. Notable aspects of the arboretum are as follows:

"Compton" (Lydia & John Thompson Morris mansion), (1887-88, demolished 1968), by Theophilus Parsons Chandler Jr., architect. The grounds are now the Morris Arboretum of the University of Pennsylvania. Compton from SW (cropped).jpg
"Compton" (Lydia & John Thompson Morris mansion), (1887-88, demolished 1968), by Theophilus Parsons Chandler Jr., architect. The grounds are now the Morris Arboretum of the University of Pennsylvania.

Morris Arboretum also owns Springfield Mill, which is located opposite the main entrance. The grist mill has been restored and is open to the public once a month for grinding demonstrations.

See also

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References

  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
  2. "National Historic Landmarks & National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania" (Searchable database). CRGIS: Cultural Resources Geographic Information System.Note: This includes George E. Thomas (August 1978). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form: Compton and Bloomfield" (PDF). Retrieved May 24, 2012.
  3. Anne S. Cunningham, Crystal Palaces: Garden Conservatories of the United States (Princeton, N.J.: Princeton Architectural Press, 2000), 49-50.