Lord & Schryver (Salem, Or.)

Landscape architecture firm established in Salem, Oregon in 1929.

From the description of Lord & Schryver architectural records, 1929-1970. (University of Oregon Libraries). WorldCat record id: 18410157

The firm of Lord-Schryver, Landscape Architects, was established in Salem, Oregon in 1929. Working out of their home on Mission Street, Elizabeth Lord and Edith (Nina) Schryver designed gardens located throughout Oregon as well as in Washington. Their partnership lasted forty years, until they retired.

Elizabeth Lord was born November 12, 1887, daughter of William Paine Lord and Juliette Montague Lord. Her father was a former Oregon governor and U. S. diplomat and her mother, who was involved in many civic activities, is credited with establishing the Salem Floral Society (now Salem Garden Club), the first garden club in Oregon. Lord received her education in various Oregon public school as well as Buenos Aires, where William Lord held a diplomatic post. Her mother’s devotion to gardening and extensive travels to view the renowned gardens of the Orient, Europe, and South America influenced Lord’s decision to make gardening a profession. She entered Lowthorpe School of Landscape Architecture, located in Groton, Massachusetts, in 1926.

Edith Schryver, known to her friends as Nina, was born March 20, 1901, in Kingston, New York. Her parents, George J. Schryver and Eleanor Young Schryver, were of Dutch descent. Pursuing her early interest in gardening, Schryver attended Lowthorpe School of Landscape Architecture during summers before completing high school. She studied general art for one year at Brooklyn’s Pratt Institute. In 1920 she enrolled full time at Lowthorpe while working part time in the Boston offices of Harold Hill Blossom, Elizabeth Pattee, and Elizabeth Leonard Strang, all landscape architects. The summer of 1922 was spent in the Cornish, New Hampshire offices of Ellen Shipman, a prominent New York landscape architects, as part of her scholarship. Upon graduation from Lowthorpe School, Schryver spent the next five years in Ellen Shipman’s prestigious New York firm.

Although both Elizabeth Lord and Edith Schryver were graduates of Lowthorpe, they did not meet until touring the gardens and churches of Europe. Discovery of similar tastes and philosophy in garden design resulted in the decision to form their own business. Schryver left the employ of Ellen Shipman to return to Salem with Elizabeth Lord where the women established themselves as the first firm of professional women landscape architects on the west coast.

Their practice focused on garden design for private residences although they also designed the grounds for Reed College, College of Puget Sound, Salem’s parks, several Salem schools, a variety of public buildings (city and state owned), and two churches. Edith Schryver created and developed the design and construction plans while Elizabeth Lord concentrated on plant composition. Designs incorporating natural settings and existing trees were used wherever possible; plant composition was such that a succession of bloom and year-round interest prevailed. Several gardens designed by Lord-Schryver are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Elizabeth Lord, senior member of the partnership, died October 9, 1976. Edith Schryver died eight years later, on may 20, 1984.

From the guide to the Lord & Schryver architectural records, 1929-1970, (Special Collections and University Archives, University of Oregon Libraries)