Pioneer Information
Formed in 1909 by landscape architetcs Arthur Nichols and Anthony Morell, the partnership was relocated to Minneapolis from New York City to capitalize on the network of clients and associates the two men had established in Duluth as employees of Charles Wellford Leavitt, Jr. Their design style exhibited a blend of Nichols’ East Coast background, Morell’s European training, and Minnesota’s regional character. One of the first and most prolific landscape architecture practices in Minnesota, most of the firm’s projects were clustered in and around the state, although some projects were completed elsewhere in the country and in Canada. The partners offered a wide range of design services, including plans for residential subdivisions, municipal parks, hospitals, country clubs, cemeteries, historic parks, Works Progress Administration sites, and state highways. They were especially sought after to plan college campuses. Between 1911 and 1914, the firm completed the four-acre grounds of Trail End State Historic Site in Sheridan, Wyoming, in a naturalistic style, with several hundred regionally indigenous trees and shrubs. After Morell’s death in 1924, the firm continued in name only, and Nichols worked in partnerships with other associates. His projects included additional plans for the Northrop Mall at the University of Minnesota—Twin Cities in 1930, and an addition to Lakewood Cemetery in 1948, which continued the concept of the cemetery as an arboretum. Nichols retired from the firm in 1950, but came out of retirement to consult for the Minnesota State Parks Department three years later. Upon his retirement, the firm became Nason, Law, Wehrman, and Knight. In 2013, the firm, then known as Sanders Wacker Bergly (SWB), was acquired by Loucks, Inc.
