Pioneer Information
Incorporated in 1916, the landscape engineering and architecture firm of Harrison, Mertz & Emlen was based in Philadelphia and comprised of John R. Mertz and Arthur Cope Emlen (1882-1941). The majority of their work comprised residential landscape design in the Philadelphia area, including large country estates such as Cliveden, but they also designed landscapes for school campuses, church grounds, and the Philadelphia Zoo, and engineered water and sewer systems. Emlen, a native of Awbury and a member of the Cope family, was responsible for creating the pond and watercourse at Awbury Arboretum, designed by Arthur Cowell. The firm also carried out private garden designs in Awbury for members of the extended Cope family through the 1920s and 1930s.
