July’s New York Heritage Spotlight Collection focuses on the Fletcher Steele Collection, a selection of landscape architecture photographs held by SUNY College of Environmental Science & Forestry.
Born in Rochester, New York, Fletcher Steele (1885-1971) enrolled in the new program in Landscape Architecture at Harvard University in 1907. While only mildly successful in the academic realm, his talents were recognized by Warren Manning, one of America’s foremost landscape designers at the time. In 1908, Manning persuaded Steele to leave Harvard and come work for him at his Boston office. Never looking back, Steele embarked on a career that would make him one of the most prolific and successful designers of the 20th Century.
The Archives and Special Collections at SUNY ESF’s Moon Library is dedicated to acquiring unique items related to the field of forestry and environmental science. The collection contains paintings, sculpture and art related to the College, produced by members of the college community.