Have you every walked through a beautiful park, an interesting trail, or an historic property and wonder, “Who created this? Who planned and planted and built this? Who lived here and loved this place?”
These were the questions that needed to be answered for visitors to Montgomery Place, a huge, gorgeous property on the Hudson River near Rhinebeck, NY. I, too, had the same questions when I first visited the site and marveled at its exquisite mansion, lush gardens and orchards, and miles of woodland trails. So I was happily surprised when I was invited to help this place reveal its fascinating story to the world.
As with so many challenging projects, collaboration between myself and the client was the key to success. And I had a "dream team" of friendly professionals at Historic Hudson Valley who made this assignment a joy. We first created a full-color, illustrated Landscape Guide. It includes a large, unfolding map of the extensive property, and details the generations of the Livingston family, who cherished their home and grounds. Remarkably, it was the women of the family who were the botanists, landscapers, trailblazers and preservationists, and who shaped a lasting identity for Montgomery Place. At last their story could be told.
Left: Landscape Guides available at entrance to Montgomery Place. Right: Illustrated Map included in each Guide.
To bring this story to the forefront for every visitor, we next developed a series of 16 “interpretive panels” to be positioned at strategic locations around the landscape. The skilled historians at HHV provided the warm, expert narrative, while I designed the panels with colorful photos, paintings and illustrations. The panel designs were reproduced in porcelain enamel, a material which will withstand the outdoor environment for decades. While helping to supervise the installation of the panels, I had the thrilling sense that the landscape was now revealing the secrets of its storied past. Since then, this experience has been shared by countless visitors.
Two of the sixteen Interpretive Panels positioned throughout the grounds.
On the practical side, the sprawling property also required “wayfinding” signage, to direct guests to the many attractions and guide them along the trails. Utilizing the same identity (colors, fonts, logo, etc.) as the guide and panels, I designed 26 directional signs, coordinated with the landscape so they would add clarity without being intrusive.
Examples of the Wayfinding Signage.
Finally, I created an interactive map for use on the free Montgomery Place App, available to all visitors via their smart phones. Through this unique application, guests can experience the landscape’s history as told by the family members themselves. At last, through the inventive use of print materials, signs and technology, a long-lost story is alive once again.