South Gate Entrance, Duke Farms, Hillsborough, NJ |
Duke Farms is the
2,740-acre former estate of Doris Duke (1912-1993), the one-time
“richest woman in the world.” It has been reincarnated by the Doris Duke
Charitable Foundation as a nature preserve and exemplar of
sustainability, ostensibly in accordance with her testamentary
wishes. It opened to the public in the May 2012, but not without
controversy.
One
sultry, late-summer morning some years ago, a friend and I set out on
a bike ride in Somerset County, New Jersey. Our trip this time took
us along the South Branch of the Raritan River, where we were
ferreting out historic 19th
C. bridges in an area known for its exciting examples. (That day, we
were on a quest to see the 1886 Nevius Street bridge at Raritan, New
Jersey, the north end of which, as it happens, terminates at the Duke estate pump house... but a little more about that later.)
After
an hour of riding, the road began to follow alongside a low stone
wall, punctuated by locked iron gates that seemed long closed.
Occasionally we'd pass a strange, overgrown stone folly at the side
of the road - a niche for statuary, a tempietto, a crenelated section
of the wall, the flat interstices at just the right height to be
stone seats. The sun-dappled forest beyond the wall had no visible
signs of occupation or activity– no buildings, no people, no tire
marks on a road into the property that quickly disappeared around a
blind curve. There was only a deadly quiet, mysterious woodland.
Distinctive stone walls and pergola at Duke Farms. |
“It's
the Doris Duke estate,” my biking companion called out as we rode
on. “She died a long time ago. The estate has been closed for
years.”
The
Duke estate was a passing curiosity on my ride that day, nothing
more. Having grown up in a small, industrial town in upstate New
York, I knew very little of Doris, in fact, any of the Dukes. Hers
was one of those celebrity names I would hear occasionally in the
news, but her lifestyle was so far removed from my reality that it
left no lasting impression.
That
is, until this summer.
The Reblooming
In
May 2012, a reincarnated Duke Farms opened to the public as an
environmental center, an exemplar of sustainability, and a model for
ecological stewardship in the 21st
Century. The Doris Duke Charitable Foundation spent some $47 Million renovating land, infrastructure, and buildings.
The
estate's 1905 Farm Barn was “repurposed” as an orientation
center, renovating it to the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental
Design) Platinum standards.
1905 Farm Barn, now Orientation Center at Duke Farms (2012). |
Inside,
a very modern cafe in a now-pristine space that once housed farm
animals.
Cafe in Orientation Center, Duke Farms (2012) |
The
extensive lawn areas were transformed into meadows, wetland habitats
were created, invasive species of flora were rooted out. The
exploding deer population, which once threatened to overrun the
property, is now drastically reduced and excluded from the property
by tall wire fencing.
Native species of wildflowers abound in the Great Meadow. |
An extensive
community garden was created west of the orientation center, just
opposite a large solar array that powers the entire complex. Some 22
miles of paths are open to pedestrians and bicycles, which can be
rented at the Farm Barn. An electric tram is available to transport
less mobile visitors around the site.
The
site is impressive. On my first visit, we only had time for a walk
around the main route, which is also used by the tram. The core area
of the site is located at the center of the property adjacent to
“Dukes Parkway West,” a public right-of-way that passes through
the estate between the orientation center and the core of the
restored areas.
The paved main path first takes you by the ruins of the Hay Barn (1905, Kendall, Taylor, and Stevens, Archs.; destroyed by fire in 1915). Doris had created a outdoor room for statuary within the walls, which are now covered with trumpet vines.
Next, the Orchid Range
(1899-1901), which was renovated to LEED Gold Standards and
today houses a wonderful display of exotic orchids - a flower beloved by
Doris Duke.
The Old
Foundation, also along the main path, is all that
remains of an abandoned scheme of James Buchanan “Buck” Duke,
Doris's father, for an enormous mansion and gardens (commissioned
1909, Horace Trumbauer, Arch.; never completed). The only feature of the project that was completed was a piazza with elaborate balustrade that now overlooks the Great Meadow.
The paved main path first takes you by the ruins of the Hay Barn (1905, Kendall, Taylor, and Stevens, Archs.; destroyed by fire in 1915). Doris had created a outdoor room for statuary within the walls, which are now covered with trumpet vines.
Contemplative place inside the ruins of the Hay Barn. |
An Orchid specimen in the Orchid Range greenhouse (2012). |
The Old Foundation, Duke Farms (2012). |
Interpretive
signs at each feature contained a few historical photos and
information on the native habitats or species highlighted at various
stops. I saw birds I had never seen before, including the brilliant
yellow American Goldfinch – New Jersey's state bird.
Judging by most standards, and borne out by the large number of visitors, the new incarnation of Duke Farms is a great success.
Judging by most standards, and borne out by the large number of visitors, the new incarnation of Duke Farms is a great success.
So... what's missing?
During
my first visit to Duke Farms, I felt a strange, nagging sense of
disorientation. Something essential was missing. What was this
troubling void hanging over my experience that
spectacular vistas, a collection of historic structures, interpretive
plaques, and breathtaking carpets of wildflowers could not disspell?
For
one thing - as inconsequential as this might seem to some - there are no guidebooks for sale at the site. They are
available as a free download at the website, the staff told me. (It's also available in hard copy if you order it from
an independent book vendor.) This
was no help, since I was standing at the main desk of the visitor
center, miles away from my computer. I didn't view the tiny screen of my smart phone as an acceptable alternative. The only available information about the estate at the site is a visitor's map, which includes other
basic information about Duke Farms and a guide to programs. Since I
am a big fan of hard-copy guidebooks, I found the map helpful but I was hungry for more information. I like to know what I am looking at.
A
few days later, still trying to pinpoint the source of my discomfort, I turned to
research. I read about the history of the
Duke family and the original assembly of the estate from some forty
farms along the Raritan. Central to Buck Duke's complex waterworks was a pumping station conveniently located at the terminus of the Nevius St. bridge, not far from the gates of the Duke estate just across the river. From there, the waters of the Raritan were propelled under the river and up the hill, where the flow fed the estate's eight lakes and many waterfalls
before gravity allowed it to cascade back down into the river.
Then there was
Buck's death in 1925 and young Doris's fight to wrest the estate from her
mother, Nanaline, who wanted to sell it. Doris's two ill-fated
marriages; a child lost in infancy; the tragic death of a friend
with Doris at the wheel. And Doris's enormous wealth – she once
reigned as “the richest girl in the world” - that never seemed to
bring her happiness. The Duke family history is quite the romantic
tale.
The mothballed pumphouse for Duke Farms waterworks, Raritan, NJ, just north of the Nevius St. Bridge (2012). |
Doris Duke's associations with the Somerville estate are both significant and enduring. In contrast to the picture painted of her in the tabloids, Doris had many serious, wide-ranging interests in arts and culture. She collected an astonishing array of arts and antiques from Asia and Europe; she was a dedicated horticulturist; she loved music (particularly jazz) and dance; and she studied languages. Among the many causes she supported were conservation of the environment, architectural restoration; medical research; and animal welfare. She loved her animals, and most of all, perhaps, she loved her gardens – especially her world famous “Garden of Nations,” housed in a large conservatory and series of greenhouses on the Somerset estate that she opened to the public in 1964.
Of
all the properties she owned around the world, of all the exotic
places she could stay, beyond all the riches she could amass, Doris
regarded Duke Farms as her “homey home,” as one source put it. It
was here she relaxed, swam in the Mermaid Pool, tended her extensive
greenhouse gardens, and played with her dogs. Ultimately, Doris
retreated into seclusion, trusting no one (as her father admonished
her on his deathbed), wanting little more out of life than her
privacy.
There seems insufficient evidence of this history in the new iteration of
Duke Farms.
"That's
what is missing," I concluded. "The Dukes are missing."
Second Look
I
was disturbed enough by this thought to return to Duke Farms for a
second look – this time exploring the north and eastern sections of
the property. Less attention seems to have been paid to the buildings
and landscaping in these areas during the recent makeover. Of these,
the 1917 Conservatory (Horace Trumbauer, Arch., Lord & Burnham,
Builder), located on the far eastern section of the estate, is
perhaps the saddest of them all.
The 1917 Conservatory (Horace Trumbauer, Arch.). |
Both
J.B. Duke and his daughter Doris were avid horticulturalists. The
Conservatory was the center of production for those activities. Doris
Duke began its transformation in 1958 as the Indoor Display Gardens,
also known as the “Garden of Nations.” These consisted of 11
separate indoor greenhouses joined together in a walkable rectangle,
each representing the horticulture and aesthetics of a different country. Joseph
D'Agnese, reporting on it for the New
York Times in
1995, called
it “a public treasure.” Doris herself sometimes led tours through
the gardens.
The Duke Farms Foundation closed the Conservatory to the public in 2008 in preparation for the makeover. Today, it remains shuttered, devoid of plants, statuary, or other remnants of that legacy. When it closed, Tim Taylor, Duke Farms's Executive Director, tried to reassure people who wanted to save the displays that materials removed from the greenhouses would be used in the new gardens, and “leftover” plant materials were to be donated to other botanical and display gardens. “We're not destroying anything,” Taylor is reported to have said at the time.
The Duke Farms Foundation closed the Conservatory to the public in 2008 in preparation for the makeover. Today, it remains shuttered, devoid of plants, statuary, or other remnants of that legacy. When it closed, Tim Taylor, Duke Farms's Executive Director, tried to reassure people who wanted to save the displays that materials removed from the greenhouses would be used in the new gardens, and “leftover” plant materials were to be donated to other botanical and display gardens. “We're not destroying anything,” Taylor is reported to have said at the time.
View of the interior of the 1917 Conservatory in 2012. |
So,
the decision was made to dismantle the indoor gardens in the large
building, and focus available resources on restoring the smaller
Orchid Range. A single interpretive sign near the 1917 Conservatory
now provides an aerial view, some photos of the current nursery, and a
paragraph or two of background on the building. The Conservatory is
neither labeled on the visitors map, nor is there much said about the
importance of the Conservatory to the Duke family in any other
informational materials available at the site.
And, while the
Orchid Range greenhouse displays of exotic orchids are delightful, they don't fully compensate for the loss of
the world-renowned "Garden of Nations" in the 1917 Conservatory, in my view.
Then, I set out to locate the “Country Manor” - the residence Doris
Duke called home. This, too, has been mothballed. Like the
Conservatory, the house is not labeled on the visitors map. The path
that leads down the hill to the manor is closed and locked. The
furnishings, clothing, jewelry, art and antiques Doris housed at the
Duke estate were auctioned off by Christies in 2004, generating some
$35 Million for the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation.
At
a recent presentation at the 2012 New Jersey Statewide Historic
Preservation Conference, the Duke Farms makeover was the subject of a workshop, presented by Mr.
Taylor and the project architects from VITETTA. Mr. Taylor summarily dismissed the Duke manor house, saying that the architectural consultants to the project found the 18th
Century house and its later additions to be “not significant.” I found the comment mystifying. And somewhat
incredible. What, I asked myself, can be “not significant” about an 18th
Century home that was birthplace and life-long home to Doris Duke, one of the
most consequential philanthropists of the 20th
Century?
Duke family manor at Duke Farms in 1910. Courtesy of InternetStones.com. |
Executing Doris's Wishes
The
Board of Trustees of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, guided by
the terms of Doris Duke's Last Will and Testament, no doubt feel that
they have followed the letter and the spirit of that document. It is
true, Doris's Last Will divided the Somerville estate into three
portions. The first was to be dedicated to the preservation of
endangered species of flora and fauna. The second portion was to be
dedicated to “farmland and growing areas.” The remainder of the
Somerville property, including all “structures and improvements
located thereon” were to be given over to the newly created “Doris
Duke Charitable Foundation.”
The
spectacular $45 Million makeover of Duke Farms as a model of
environmental stewardship does seem consistent with Ms. Duke's
intentions. And perhaps, given the secluded, isolated life she
chose to live during the last decade of her life, dismantling her
collections at the Manor and preventing it from becoming a tourist
attraction based on her celebrity is also consistent with her wishes.
At the end, she didn't seem to put much store in all of her material
goods, in any event. She clearly wanted them to be put to better use
by the Foundation. As it happens, the $34 Million went a long way
towards realizing the current environmental center.
There
is no doubt that the Foundation has overlaid a worthy public mission on what could have been an underutilized private
resource. Preserving 2,700 delightful acres of open space, recreating
native habitats, and opening it to the public, free of charge –
this is an extraordinary enterprise.
Balancing History and Environment
Now,
I don't see myself as a celebrity groupie, especially a dead
celebrity. It is not my goal to revive a cult of personality around
Doris Duke. But I do think that an important layer of history seems
to be little appreciated there. And the site is the poorer for it.
But never fear, the estate has not been irrevocably compromised. A few tweaks by the Dukes Farms Foundation
would allow the larger history of the site to co-exist comfortably
with the new environmental mission as it continues to develop the
site. Here are a couple of suggestions, which, if anyone from the Foundation is listening, I hope can be taken in the positive spirit with which they are given:
- Adhere more closely to the U.S. Secretary of the Interior's Standards and Guidelines for Treatments of Historic Properties in future rehabilitations. The “repurposed” and renovated 1905 Farm Barn now Orientation Center, albeit “sustainable,” no longer looks or feels historic: the masonry is so sparkling clean, so seamlessly repointed and repaired, that it looks new; all interior features of its previous existence have been totally removed, like the horse stalls, which might have been retained and “repurposed” so as to give some sense of the historic use of the original building. For instance, still in a good state of preservation is the 1903 Coach Barn, now used for group meetings. It would be a shame to see this building transformed as aggressively as was the Farm Barn. One totally sustainable, LEED-certified conversion may be sufficient for the site as an example. Now we need to show how historic buildings are also sustainable by their very preservation.
The Coach Barn (1903, Kendall, Taylor & Stevens, Archs.) - Reopen the 1917 Conservatory (with or without LEED) and recreate, from historical evidence, one or more rooms of the world-famous “Garden of Nations.” The dismantling of this feature is a great loss to the site, and one that had intrinsic cultural value as an virtuoso example of horticulture seldom seen anywhere. It would be a fitting legacy to Doris Duke's efforts as horticulturalist and benefactor of Duke Farms. (The organization could even make this a “premium feature” that requires admission. And a paved parking area is already available near the Conservatory).
- Have guidebooks available for purchase at the orientation center (there's plenty of room), along with other books on nature, environment, books on the history of the Duke family. This may seem a small thing, but it really does help orient people to the raison d'être of Duke Farms. And it would help support the work of the Foundation, if only in a modest way.
- Mark the historic carriageways and pathways through the site, so that visitors can understand how they were originally laid out. Again, this would help orient the visitor - which roads are historic pathways? Which are newly created for the current use? We have no way of knowing without a marking system that differentiates them.
- Develop a comprehensive history of the estate (if not a National Register nomination) and a Preservation Plan that will help guide future redevelopment of the site. There are many worthy buildings (including the main residence) and much history that should be taken into account. And it could form the basis of other publications that could be sold at the orientation center.
- Ultimately, as resources permit, the Duke Farms Foundation may want to reevaluate its decision to close the Country Manor, and use it as an opportunity to interpret the history of the Duke family and, in particular, Doris Duke's interests in the environment, gardens, and healthy living. It's understandable that not all areas of the facility can be developed at once – the facility just opened to the public a few months ago, after all. But it would be a lost opportunity if the residence could not also be used at some point in the future to further the mission of Duke Farms in accordance with the wishes of its benefactor.
All
of my qualms and suggestions aside, Duke Farms is a must-see. It is a
remarkable enterprise, and one that will continue to serve the
Foundation's mission of sustainability and environmental stewardship
for many decades.
Update: Spring 2016
Although it was true that the residence had been altered over the some-100 years of occupancy by the Duke family, all of the alterations had been designed by noted architects. And, it must be noted, that the house was meticulously cared for by Doris Duke until her death in 1993; its decline seems to have resulted, in large part, from the Foundation's refusal to devote any funds to maintaining it after it assumed control of the estate.
The Commission, over the objections of many preservation advocates and former friends of the family and staff members of the estate, ruled in favor of the Foundation's application to demolish the residence. Litigation was waged by the advocates, but ultimately the NJ courts ruled for the Foundation. In April 2016, the demolition was complete and the site cleared. The controversy, from the viewpoint of the preservationists, can be found here: DORIS (Demolition of the Residence is Senseless).
Resources
“A
Thousand to One: Duke Farms open to the Public.” Skylands
Visitor - in and around Northern New Jersey. Website.
URL: http://www.njskylands.com/attractions-duke-farms.htm
accessed 19 August 2012.
At Home with Doris Duke:
Selections from her personal home movies.
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housed at Duke University Libraries Rare Book, Manuscript, and
Special Collections Library
(https://library.duke.edu/find/all?Ntt=doris+duke+archives). URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bH94cEXq4M
accessed 19 August 2012.
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Cities”at the Asian Art Museum– the dazzling Burmese and Siamese
Treasures of Heiress and Philathropist Doris Duke find a new home.”
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Wow, very interesting!
ReplyDelete(I think that we passed this place, when I went on a bike tour of steel bridges, in this county.)
Thank you for the very informative post!
I'm a former Security Agent for Miss Doris Duke. It saddens me to see how pathetic Duke Farms has been transformed into such modern crap and change since Miss Duke's death.
ReplyDeleteI remember the estate as it was when Miss Duke could be seen driving around the grounds in Car 1, her red Corvair convertable. Whoever has control over the property now, could've learned a thing or two about the former beauty of the place as it once was, had they put public inquireies out accordingly to former employees.
Duke Farms was an INCREDIBLE place to wotk at when Miss Duke was still alive, as was Roughpoint. I lived on the estate inside "The Park", where at that time, the general public were not allowed.
I took a guided tour of the place back in '06, and I had to correct the tour guide regarding info that was being given out to us, and yes, I ID'd myself as a former emplyee and bodyguard to Miss Duke. The place is almost Unrecognizable now, so sad :(
Thank you for your thoughtful analysis.
ReplyDelete