History of the Japanese Garden at the Muscatine Musser Art Museum in Muscatine Iowa
[Music] [Applause] in 2023 the historic Japanese garden on the grounds of the Musketine Art Center underwent a dramatic transformation this change was years in the making and involved significant research evaluation study and planning managing and implementing a landscape rehabilitation project presented special challenges and the final results will only truly be seen some years in the future as the plantings mature reaching their full height and spreading to create a full ground cover the historic Japanese garden dates to 1930 and is listed as a contributing component for the Laura Muser Mcol historic district the National Register listing also includes the 1908 house and the carriage house built in the mid 1920s the lady of the house Laura Muser Mcome was a member of one of Musketine’s most prominent families her father Peter was involved in lumber operations and banking her husband Edwin McComem took over his family’s dry goods business laura herself was an astute businesswoman a trained vocal performer and a patron of many local causes she was highly involved with numerous groups including the Musketine Garden Club and the 20th Century Club upon its completion the garden became a gathering spot for activities and events especially those associated with one of Laura’s clubs the garden was installed at a time when examples of Japanese-style gardens could be found in some public and private gardens around the United States while Laura’s Japanese style garden was not the first to be installed in Iowa it is the only Japanese garden installed before World War II to still be standing within the state’s borders the rarity of the garden made it especially important to return the character-defining features to the garden the Musketine Art Center staff had struggled for years with a variety of issues in the garden the pump for the water feature did not work the ponds and streams leaked the wooden bridges rotted quickly and were difficult to cross for those with mobility concerns the U trees had branches that grew downward towards the ground and blocked sections of the walkway pine needles from trees planted in the 1980s clogged the water feature the shade created by the pine trees and the use made it impossible to grow the types of plants found in Laura’s original garden a comprehensive approach was required and the staff sought advice from associate professor Heidi Hullman who teaches landscape design at Iowa State University in September 2020 Hman along with a graduate student completed the historic landscape preservation plan for the Japanese garden the plan detailed the character-defining features of the garden outlined a treatment plan for returning those features to the garden and presented a sidebyside comparison of the garden in 2020 next to historic photographs from the 1930s the preservation plan provided the strategy for the comprehensive overhaul of the garden and served as the guiding document for securing grant funding as well as broader community support for the project the Musketine Art Center was first awarded a grant from the federal Paul Brun Historic Preservation Program to meet the match for the federal grant and fund the remaining financial need for the project a second grant from the Roy J carver Charitable Trust was secured while the rehabilitation plans were coming together and project funding was being secured the Musketone Art Center also contracted with Beth Cody author of the book Iowa Gardens of the Past cody researched the garden and explored the influence of Japanese style on American Culture starting in the late 1800s a Humanities Iowa grant funded the research project one of the primary goals was to understand some of the reasons why Laura Muser Mcome opted to have a Japanese-style garden installed at her home cody’s research gave an overview of the reopening of trade between Japan and the West and it underscored the importance of cultural displays at expositions and World’s Fairs for Laura her experience at the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago at the age of 16 was perhaps her first introduction into Japanese style landscape design the Japanese display at the fair had a profound influence on many including Frank Lloyd Wright whose influence on architecture can be found throughout the Midwest and the broader United States laura’s encounters with Japanese style continued at another World’s Fair the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St louis as a newlywed couple Laura traveled with her husband to take in the wonders of the fair laura’s brother-in-law Charles Hudig a bank president and resident of St louis was one of the fair’s commissioners japan had maintained a significant presence at the international expositions held in the United States in 1894 and 1901 but its commanding presence of seven total acres made it a particular highlight at the 1904 fair the Japanese pond garden located near the main pavilion truly inspired Americans many who saw it became eager to introduce some of its beauty into their own gardens among them were Laura’s sister and brother-in-law who had a Japanese style garden installed at their St louis home in 1907 by George Kesler the landscape architect for the 1904 World’s Fair while visitors to the World’s Fairs and other expositions directly experienced the wonders of Japanese culture exposure to Japanese style reached the general American public through advertisements for Japanese inspired fashion home decor and landscaping like other Americans Laura displayed a fondness for Japanese style in her clothing choices home furnishings and taste in music as a vocal performer Laura particularly loved Madame Butterfly and publicly performed songs from the opera in Musketine in 1917 only a few years after Mary Pikford brought to life the character of butterfly in the highly popular silent film set in Japan in the first decades of the 1900s Musketine like other cities and towns across the United States became a stop for traveling bizaars selling wares from Japan China and the Near East american consumers could also purchase imported Japanese goods from stores such as Marshall Fields in Musketone the Mcomem store sold imports such as Japanese parasols handcarved teik and Japanese embroidered art panels and tapestries the Mcome store obtained these imports through Marshall Fields in 1917 when the Mcome store celebrated the grand opening of its new building in downtown Musketone there were performances by Japanese men dressed in traditional costume laura as the store’s vice president likely had a role in developing the opening celebrations and selecting some of the store’s merchandise meanwhile the enthusiasm for Japanese gardens was growing in the United States in the Midwest some of the earliest Japanese-style gardens were installed in the early 1890s in the Minneapolis area in Chicago a Japanese man named TR Atsuka established a highly successful landscape business around 1910 he constructed gardens using Japanese style features and plantings native to the area while the landscape designer for Laura’s garden is not documented it is reasonable to believe that she encountered Atsuka’s work through his advertisements in gardening magazines his displays at the Chicago Garden and Flower Show or by visiting one of his many public and private gardens in Chicago and surrounding areas by the time Laura had her garden constructed in 1930 she had likely been considering a garden with Japanese style features for some time returning back to the rehabilitation of the garden the purpose of the project was not to install a garden with the types of features found in traditional gardens in Japan rather this historic preservation project aimed to bolster the character-defining features of the original garden those features are a tiered garden bold rock work a system of paths the sight and sound of running water a variety of plants including some native to Iowa a sense of enclosure and a mixture of smallcale features in Japanese style historic photographs and even home film footage from 1936 were used to guide the rehabilitation beyond restoring the character definfining features the project also addressed accessibility concerns and took into account the ongoing maintenance needs of the garden an ADA compliant pathway was installed leading into the garden from its top tier the new pathway follows the original path leading into the garden by connecting the front porch of the historic house to the Tory gate entrance while the width and materials for this ADA pathway are inconsistent with Laura’s stepping stone pathway these materials are used in a new secondary pathway that connects the garden to the main entrance of the Musketine Art Center throughout the project all plans and other documents were reviewed by the Iowa State Historic Preservation Office and the National Park Service one requirement of the project was to have an archaeological study performed in advance of any changes to the garden the archaeological study revealed some interesting finds related to an 1800’s house that once stood on the site of the garden and was removed by the Muser family around 1907 a request for proposals process was used to select the landscape firm aunt Rhodess of Eldridge was chosen with the selection being reviewed by the Iowa State Historic Preservation Office while a great deal of planning and budgeting took place in 2021 and 2022 physical work did not begin until 2023 in January 2023 subcontractors kicked off this work with the removal of pine trees use and other large trees identified as inappropriate for the garden or in poor condition ant roies then cleared the site in April 2023 and by May had begun rebuilding the rock work on the garden’s slopes also in May a subcontractor installed concrete cheek walls along each side of the three sets of steps in the garden in June water tankers were installed underground the concrete water feature was repaired new piping and water pumps were put in enabling the water to circulate and placement of rock work continued in September cobble along the concrete streams and ponds was repaired ornamental sumac shrubs were among the first plantings mulch was spread the upper pathways were installed as was the sod limestone slab bridges and wooden structures such as the Tory gate and shrine house the final details came together in October including the installation of two outdoor interpretive panels and signage directing visitors to protect the plants stay on the path with the rehabilitation of the garden complete a volunteer group Friends of the Japanese Garden was established in addition to having a volunteer corps assisting with the maintenance of the garden there is now an endowment that will annually make available some funds for purchasing mulch plantings as needed gardening tools and eventually replacing larger items such as the Tory gate the water feature in the garden is intended to run daily from approximately May to October weather depending the rehabilitation of the 1930 garden dramatically improved the appearance of the garden while bringing to light the historic context of the garden’s installation local and regional enthusiasm for the garden has grown and the historic rehabilitation project has been recognized with a preservation at its best award [Music]