A 1920s Holiday at Skylands Manor

A 1920s Holiday at Skylands Manor
Eat, Drink and Be Merry! Come join Santa at
a champagne Christmas party. The Breakfast
Room is decorated in the style of a 1920’s
cocktail party, champagne bubbles abound!
This year’s naughty or nice list will be available
for review.
Janis Agresta & Family
Holiday Botanicals. Mr. Lewis, an avid plantsman and
trustee of the New York Botanical Garden, wanted to make
his purchase of Skylands, in 1922, a botanical showplace.
This he did by stressing color, fragrance, texture, and form
in his gardens. The botanical theme has been used here in
the Entrance Hall by incorporating baby’s breath, allium,
eucalyptus, corkscrew willow branches, and poinsettias into
the holiday decorations. The poinsettia, introduced from
Mexico by Joel Poinsett, was first used as a houseplant for
the holidays in the 1920’s. For centuries the white DOVE
has been a symbol of love, prosperity, good luck and PEACE.
FOLA – Friends of Laurelwood Arboretum
Jazzy in the Back Porch. When Skylands Manor
was completed, Jazz was beginning its explosion into the music world. The 1920’s proved to
be the Golden Age of Jazz as it was diverse and
appealed to every echelon of society. Among
some of the famous musicians of this era were
Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, George
Gershwin, Count Basie and “Jelly Roll” Morton. Here in the Back Porch, we are celebrating
the Jazz Era in Holiday style. Enjoy!
The Demarest Garden Club
The Center Hall
The Great Hall
Monarch Hall – Danaus Plexippus. Conservation of the
Monarch began in the 1920’s. Here at NJBG, we continue
that work in partnership with Bergen County Audubon Society by planting Milkweed. Here is a celebration of this
magnificent butterfly.
NJBG Volunteers and ARC Volunteers
The Ladies’ Parlor
A glimpse backstage at 1920’s Razzmatazz. All the necessities for a fine performance, be it the Silver Screen, Vaudeville or Theatre.
Debra Manfredonio and friends
The Dining Room
The Dining Room of Skylands – alas, can you imagine the
sparkling parties in the day? Surrounded by Elizabethan panels
from an English Manor House at Lyme Regis, Dorset, with its
carved oak mantel, finely detailed woodwork surrounds, reminiscent of the Elizabethan era. Nineteen pilasters abound in
the room, with grapes, leaves, acorns and birds swirling about.
Imagine women in their knee length skirts and bobbed hair,
flappers they were called, anxious to drive up the mountain to
dance the night away. Most folks were just getting used to the
idea of glitz and glamour, but here, at Skylands, it was already
well underway.
Ramapough Conservancy
Northern NJ Girl Scouts
The Back Porch
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The Entrance Hall & Grand Staircase
The Breakfast Room
Main Entrance
Find the Christmas Pickle
Mr. Lewis enjoyed watching the greats of the
“silver screen” in the Great Hall. This was the
era of silent movies and famous movie stars.
Look for Charlie Chaplin, Eddie Cantor and
many others on our “Star” studded tree.
Dazzling black and white decorations carry
out the theme of this period.
NJBG Volunteers
State Staff
The Octagonal Hall & Drawing Room
Bergen County Master Gardeners cordially invites you to put
your wiggle on and join us in celebrating our “1925 – Gatsby inspired New Year’s Eve Party”! There will be a beautiful photo
opportunity in our room for people to “put their faces into” an
elegant dancing couple and many more props to celebrate with!
Bergen County Master Gardeners
The Study
In 1926, Coco Channel introduced her “little black dress” and
fashion history was made. Almost 90 years later, styles inspired by her iconic “LBD” are still a “must have” in every
woman’s closet. The study is decorated as a thank you to Coco
for bringing us timeless fashion.
Ringwood Garden Club ~ Janice Ramsay, designer
Following an Old World
tradition, we’ve hidden an
ornament shaped like a
pickle somewhere among
all the decorations.
Spot it on your tour and
you’re entitled to a year of
good luck!
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Entrance & Stairwell
Men’s Cloak Room
Ladies’ Parlor
Elevator
Center Hallway
Dining Room
Breakfast Room
Back Porch
Great Hall
Octagonal Hall
Parlor
Study
Library
The Library
The 1920’s was an important decade for literature. Featured
in the library are some of the many famous authors and their
books from this era. Classics we are still reading and rereading today.
Ringwood Garden Club ~ Janice Ramsay, designer
The Carriage House Visitor Center
The Carriage House Visitor Center has become the home of
the Cottingley Fairies. If you look carefully, you will see
them. Do you believe?
NJBG/Skylands Association volunteers
Skylands
Welcome to the 27th annual Holiday Open House, sponsored
by the NJBG/Skylands Association. Proceeds from these
tours are used to provide improvements, services and public
events at the New Jersey State Botanical Garden throughout
the year. We hope you enjoy this celebration of the hope and
joy of the season, and we wish you the very best of holidays!
Ground Floor of Skylands Manor
HELEN LEWIS SALOMON, the mother of Clarence Lewis,
was widowed in 1919. Not long thereafter, she and her bereaved son agreed to a joint project: she wanted a Tudorstyle showplace; he wanted plants and gardens. Mrs.
Salomon worked closely with the architect on Skylands
Manor, but she died in 1927, before its completion.
JOHN RUSSELL POPE (1874-1937), “an architect born to
work in the grand style,” was educated at City College, Columbia University, the American Academy in Rome and the
École des Beaux Arts in Paris. He trained under Bruce Price,
the master builder of Tuxedo Park. Pope designed many outstanding public buildings, such as the Jefferson Memorial
and the National Gallery of Art.
TUDOR ARCHITECTURE originated in England in the late
Gothic period, and continued to be popular into the Renaissance. It features half-timbering on the exterior, crenelated
walls, large groups of rectangular windows, oriel or bay
windows, and intricate chimney complexes. The interiors
usually had large central halls, wood paneling, moulded
plaster ceilings, and elaborately carved staircases. Tudor Revival became a popular style for the elegant country houses
of wealthy Americans.
The builder of Skylands was the ELLIOT C. BROWN CO.,
of New York City, which also built the country homes of
Franklin Delano Roosevelt at Hyde Park and E. Roland
Harriman (Arden House).
SAMUEL YELLIN (1885-1940), decorative metal designer
and craftsman, who preferred to call himself “the blacksmith,” fashioned the lanterns, electrical fixtures, lamps,
gate, and spiral staircase rail for Skylands Manor.
NATIVE GRANITE for the exterior walls of Skylands was
quarried at Pierson Ridge, above Emerald Pond, in the eastern part of the property in Bergen County.
Mrs. Salomon purchased a collection of antique STAINED
GLASS MEDALLIONS from an English collector. The 16thcentury German, Bavarian, and Swiss panes were set in
leaded windows by Heinegke & Smith of New York City.
Learn more about Skylands Manor at one of the historic and
architectural tours NJBG offers throughout the year.Please
visit our website for dates and details.
CARRIAGE HOUSE CAFÉ
LaRosa Catering ~ Hot Dog Caboose
Midland Park, NJ
Skylands
CLARENCE MCKENZIE LEWIS bought Skylands in 1922
from the estate of Francis Lynde Stetson, who founded Skylands in 1891. Mr. Lewis was educated in England and Germany. While he was there, his widowed mother, Helen
Forbes Lewis, married William Salomon, founder of the
New York banking house. Upon his return, Lewis attended
Columbia University, where he received a Civil Engineering
degree in 1898. In 1908 he married and bought a country
place in Mahwah; it was there that Lewis became interested
in horticulture.
Carriage House Visitor Center
CARRIAGE HOUSE GIFT SHOP
Sonja Vieth & NJBG volunteers
Evening Receptions
CATERER
Mansion Caterers
VALET PARKING
Courtesy of NJBG/Skylands Association
FRIDAY EVENING
Amber LeFaye and Calypso Lune
1920’s Dancers
SATURDAY EVENING
Featuring Stars from the Revival of Marx Brothers’
1924 Broadway hit, “I’ll say She is”
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This event is organized and presented by
the friends and volunteers of the
NJBG/Skylands Association
to benefit its work at the
New Jersey State Botanical Garden.
Thank You!
HOLIDAY OPEN HOUSE COMMITTEE
President: Dorothy Gall
Chair: Debra Manfredonio
Volunteer Coordinator: Dania Cheddie
A SPECIAL THANK YOU TO
Skylands State Staff
Ringwood State Park Staff and Park Police
and
NJSBG Head Landscape Designer Rich Flynn
We couldn’t do it without you!
Skylands
Skylands History & People
A 1920s
Holiday
at Skylands Manor
P. O. Box 302 • Ringwood, NJ 07456
973-962-9534
njbg.org
27TH ANNUAL
HOLIDAY OPEN HOUSE
2015