Pioneer Information
A graduate of the Cornell University School of Architecture, Gebhart took a position with landscape architects J.H. Small and Sons in Washington, D.C. upon concluding his studies. His career, which spanned over 65 years, included site designs for the Folger Shakespeare Library, the British Embassy, and Senator Joseph Guffey’s residence in Georgetown. Gebhart also worked on several projects in Michigan, including the landscape plan for Muskegon Causeway Memorial Park. In 1924, Gebhart laid out the garden plan for Arbremont, known today as Hillwood, the Washington, D.C. estate of Colonel and Mrs. Henry P. Erwin. The strong, central axis, formality in a casual garden setting, broad view terraces, and easy access between the house and garden became hallmarks of his style and can still be seen in Hillwood’s gardens today.
