RMA Presents “Innisfree: An American Garden”

Executive Director Laura Palmer shared with the audience the history and vision of Innisfree Garden.

By Frank Scarpa

At the October 9th meeting of the Retired Men’s Association Troy Johnson introduced Laura Palmer, who described for us the people and ideas that shaped the living landmark of Innisfree Garden in Millbrook, New York. Laura, the Executive Director of Innisfree, brings a wealth of experience to her role. With a background in leading organizations like the Berkshire International Film Festival, the Union of Concerned Scientists, and the Garden Conservancy, Palmer’s expertise uniquely enhances the value and beauty of Innisfree. Innisfree, which encompasses 185 acres surrounding a 40-acre glacial lake, was formerly the estate of Walter and Marion Beck. The garden, recognized as one of the world’s ten best and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, was designed in collaboration with Harvard-educated landscape architect Lester Collins.

The story of Innisfree begins with Marion Beck, an heiress who was the driving force behind the garden’s creation. She chartered a plane to fly over Dutchess County and became enchanted by the glistening Tyrrel Lake and the surrounding undeveloped land. Marion acquired over 220 acres and named the property Innisfree, after a poem by W. B. Yeats, “The Lake Isle of Innisfree.” Marion and her husband Walter, an artist, built a large Tudor-style house positioned to command views of Lake Tyrrel. Initially, the Becks developed picturesque gardens based on Chinese and Japanese design principles they had encountered during their travels through Asia. However, in 1938, they began working with Lester Collins, then a young landscape architect studying at Harvard. Collins would help them design and expand the gardens around their house, marking the beginning of a 30-year collaboration. During this time, Collins also established himself as an accomplished landscape architect, working on projects in Washington, D.C. and Miami, Florida. He later returned to Harvard as a professor and eventually became the dean of landscape architecture. Despite his growing national and international practice, Collins always returned to Innisfree, which is considered his masterwork.

When the Becks passed away in the late 1950s, they had intended for Innisfree to become an educational center for the study of gardening and art. However, Marion had outlived much of the endowment she had planned to leave for Innisfree, resulting in the garden being about $200,000 in debt at the time of her death. Lester Collins inherited this challenging situation. He moved onto the property and would live there for the rest of his life, wintering in Key West but always returning to Innisfree. In 1960, shortly after the Becks’ passing, Collins opened Innisfree to the public and founded the Innisfree Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. This was an unusual move for a landscape architect and garden creator at the time. Collins served as the foundation’s president for decades, another atypical role for someone in his profession. To welcome visitors, Collins set up a card table and cigar box at the entrance to the garden, implementing an honor system where visitors would put a dollar bill in the box to enter. This simple setup marked the beginning of Innisfree’s public life, attracting thousands of visitors each year.

Faced with the inherited debt and the need for working capital to run the garden, Collins made the difficult decision to sell off a significant portion of the original property to Rockefeller University. This sale helped pay down some of the debt and provided the necessary funds to maintain and operate the garden. Rockefeller University continues to be a good neighbor to Innisfree, running a center for field research in ethology and ecology on the surrounding land. Today, Innisfree Garden maintains the historic core of the property under its stewardship. The garden shares some property lines with Rockefeller University, and there are ongoing discussions about potentially making some areas more accessible in the future. This includes a trail system designed by Collins that now belongs to the university.

Laura Palmer’s role as executive director of Innisfree Garden involves preserving and documenting this significant landscape. The lack of formal garden plans drawn by Collins presents a challenge in this effort, as it would have been helpful to have a clear idea of his intentions for the space and the locations of various installations. Innisfree Garden stands as a testament to the vision of Marion Beck, the artistic talents of Walter Beck, and the masterful design of Lester Collins. It represents a unique collaboration that spanned decades and resulted in a garden of international renown. Under Laura Palmer’s leadership, Innisfree continues to evolve while honoring its rich history and maintaining its status as a living landmark of American garden design.

Laura Palmer’s lecture was accompanied by beautiful photographs and maps of the lake and gardens, whetting our appetites for an actual visit. A brief but helpful Q&A session followed her exposition.

The talk can be viewed by going to the RMA website at https://greenwichrma.org, and clicking on “Speakers.”

The RMA’s upcoming presentation, “How to Live to 100 Without Disabilities,” by Dr Edward Schuster, is scheduled for 11 AM on Wednesday, October 23, 2024. Dr. Edward Schuster, MD, is a Stamford based cardiologist who is currently an attending physician at Stamford Hospital, and is a member of the Board of Directors of The Stamford Hospital Foundation. He is the hospital’s director of cardiac rehabilitation, and the medical director of The Tully Health and Fitness Institute in Stamford. He also is member of the teaching faculty at Columbia University.

There are almost 100,000 people in the U.S. over the age of 100, and the percentage of people reaching centenary status is rising. Dr. Schuster will describe what will—and will not—help you achieve this goal, and stay healthy while you do it. First, location helps. Connecticut has the second highest incidence of centenarians in the country (after Hawaii). He’ll give tips on diet, exercise, social engagement, medical monitoring, stress management, vitamins, and more. He also advises, “Take vacations! Enjoy life! This is not a dress rehearsal!”

Dr. Schuster received his medical degree at the Chicago Medical School and completed his internship and residency at Duke Hospital. He was a fellow in cardiology at the Johns Hopkins Hospital. Dr. Schuster has received numerous honors including teacher of the year at Stamford Hospital and is rated among the USA Best Doctors. In addition to healthy aging and longevity, he is a strong and active advocate of children’s health and the use of defibrillators in the community.

To stream the presentation by Dr Edward Schuster at 11 AM on Wednesday, October 23, click on https://bit.ly/30IBj21. This presentation will also be available on local public access TV channels, Verizon FIOS channel 24 and Optimum (Cablevision) channel 79. The public is also invited to attend the presentation in person at the First Presbyterian Church of Greenwich at 1 West Putnam Avenue.

Note: The views expressed in these presentations are those of the speakers. They are not intended to represent the views of the RMA or its members.

RMA speaker presentations are presented as a community service at no cost to in-person or Zoom attendees, regardless of gender. Any member of the public who would like to receive a weekly email announcement of future speakers should send a request to members@greenwichrma.org. The RMA urges all eligible individuals to consider becoming a member of our great organization, and thereby enjoy all the available fellowship, volunteer, and community service opportunities which the RMA offers to its members. For further information, go to https://greenwichrma.org/, or contact members@greenwichrma.org.

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