The Historical Society of Oak Park and River Forest

Free Lecture was given by Carol Kelm

Landscape Gardener, John Blair

April 11, 2003 in Oak Park at Pleasant Home

Here are some pictures of the event:

	Carol Kelm
	Ann Randall (left) Carol Kelm (center) Peg Zak (right)

John Blair (1820-1906) once lived in the Oak Park house now used as offices of the Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Trust; Blair sold Wright the landscaped adjacent lot where the architect’s National Historic Landmark Home and Studio now are open to public tours.  Between 1871 and 1891, Woodbine Avenue in Oak Park was named Blair Avenue.   The gardener also had a friendship and business dealings with Henry W. Austin, pioneer Chicago and Oak Park developer; Blair did work on the Oak Park Austin estate, a portion of which is now a public park.

In addition to his strong connections to Oak Park, Blair landscaped properties in Rockford, Ill., Colorado Springs, Col., and on Vancouver Island, B.C.  He also worked on Chicago parks. 

All images on the Historic Society pages are from photographs owned by The Historical Society of Oak Park and River Forest, Copyright © 2003  All Rights Reserved