A stately mansion dating to 1909 on Olmsted’s Lincoln Parkway in Buffalo was purchased by Medaille College and renovated to become the college President’s personal residence. Our design needed to preserve the historic integrity of the street and house while providing a high level of modern design with low maintenance for a variety of functions such as a grand entrance, an intimate entertaining area and a private garden area with room for smaller college events with staff, faculty or students.

A hedge atop the existing site wall was added to better define the public garden area, while providing a bit more privacy.

A simply designed “knot” garden with a large circular lawn acts as the intermediate garden between the most public and most private space. This garden also relies on a simple planting scheme with emphasis on texture and shades of green, gray and white.

A wood pergola anchors the rear of the yard and acts as a focal point for all the garden areas.