Courtesy the Landmark Society of Western New York

 

history continued

Throughout this time, the gardens on Ellwanger’s estate continued to evolve. Helen Cresswell Ellwanger, George Ellwanger’s granddaughter, was the last of the family to oversee the property. An avid horticulturist like her grandfather, Ms. Ellwanger added tremendously to the property’s plantings, even hiring the celebrated landscape architect Fletcher Steele (1885-1971) to help her design new spaces. Under Ms. Ellwanger’s stewardship, the garden continued to draw many visitors from the horticultural and gardening professions.

On May 2, 1982, Helen Ellwanger passed away and left the family homestead to The Landmark Society of Western New York, Inc., an organization she helped found. The following year, the Landmark Society sold the main house, the carriage house, and a neighboring house built by George Ellwanger’s son Henry to private owners, providing for the ongoing preservation of the property. The Landmark Society retained only the historic half-acre garden and immediately hired the first professional horticulturist to begin research and rehabilitation. The Ellwanger Garden opened to the public in 1984.