Preview
Photographer
Rev. Anthony J. Eiardi, S.J.
Date
1956
Description
The Japanese Garden at Bellarmine Hall was designed with three bridges, water flowing from pool to pool on stone runways, walking paths, Japanese lanterns and, at the extreme west end of the garden, a replica of Mount Fujiyama which was able to let off smoke through a chimney in the peak. Much of the lawn has been paved and now there is a parking lot in this vicinity.
Notes
The Japanese Garden at Bellarmine Hall was designed in 1926 by Arthur A. Shurtleff for the Walter B. Lashar family. The Lashars had built their home, Hearthstone Hall, in 1926, and hired Shurtleff to design this garden as well as the formal gardens surrounding the house. Arthur Asahel Shurcliff (1865 - 1957) was a noted American landscape architect. He was born with the family name Shurtleff but changed it to Shurcliff in 1930 to conform to an older English spelling. Among his many works, he served as the chief landscape architect for the restoration of Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia; contributed to the planning of Old Sturbridge Village; and the grounds at Plymouth Rock. In 1956, Rev. Anthony J. Eiardi, S.J., a math professor here at Fairfield University, sent letters to Arthur Shurcliff asking for his recollections regarding the Japanese Garden as Father Eiardi was seeking to restore the garden. Soon thereafter Father Eiardi wrote: "You will be pleased to hear that I have the water running in the garden. The pools are filled, the running water in the channels sparkles in the sunlight, and the sound of water over the falls adds to the peaceful atmosphere of the garden." Image date is approximate.
Publisher
Fairfield University
Collection
Image Archive
Original Format
Photographic print; black-and-white; 4 x 5 in.
Digitization Date
2007
Repository
Fairfield University Archives and Special Collections
Copyright
© Fairfield University Archives and Special Collections. This resource may be used for educational or non-commercial purposes. Please direct any questions to digital@fairfield.edu.
Repository Citation
Rev. Anthony J. Eiardi, S.J.. "Japanese Garden looking west down slope to pond with upper garden in foreground." 1956. Image Archive. Fairfield University Archives and Special Collections. https://digitalcommons.fairfield.edu/image-archive/121.