As the Victorian age gave way to the Progressive Era, Chicago designer O.C. Simonds (1855–1931) was a seminal figure in the naturalistic landscape movement and the first to popularize the use of native plants. The original partner of William Holabird, he was instrumental in shaping Graceland Cemetery’s landscape for over 50 years, consulted at Lincoln Park, created the University of Chicago campus in 1902, collaborated with Pond and Pond on Frank Orren and Florence Pullman’s Sinnissippi Farm, and designed hundreds of other projects.

Listen in to Barbara Geiger, author of Low-Key Genius: The Life and Work of Landscape-Gardener O.C. Simonds, to hear her presentation on this important figure in American landscape architecture history.

Recorded Wednesday, January 11, 2012 at the Chicago Architecture Foundation.