Pioneer Information
Born in West Somerville, Massachusetts, Phillips was an early student in Harvard’s landscape architecture program, from which he graduated in 1908. By 1911 he joined the Olmsted Brothers firm, where he worked on the Boston Common. He left the firm after two years and worked in a variety of roles in the U.S. and abroad as an independent practitioner and for the U.S. government. In 1925 Phillips moved to Lake Wales, Florida, where he renewed his association with the Olmsted Brothers and spent the rest of his 50-year career. His work illustrated an understanding of the native Florida landscape, its unique ecosystems, and particularly its plants. Working with private clients and for the National Park Service, Civilian Conservation Corps, and Dade County he created landscapes which have helped define Florida’s image. Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden in Coral Gables is Phillips’ best-known work. In twenty years there, he developed tropical plant collections organized by families, arranged along two formal axes with shaded walks and scenic views. His extensive body of work also includes private estates, cemeteries, public thoroughfares, and campus planning projects, including Greynolds Park, Bok Tower Gardens (with Olmsted Brothers), and McKee Botanic Gardens.
