martinhouseclr

220 DARWIN D. MARTIN HOUSE // CULTURAL LANDSCAPE REPORT A detachable trellis wire system should be designed and installed that will prevent damage to structures. The trellis system should provide an appropriate historic appearance, suit the specific vine growth characteristics, minimize the impact of the anchorage and support structure of the trellis to the historic building, and provide direct access to the building for preservation maintenance purposes. Rigorous research should be conducted to support all proposed vine and trellis applications, including research into spiraled steel strapping, aircraft cable, and other systems. Recognizing that complete in-kind replacement of all vine cover on structures would not be feasible or desirable given the current use of the property, it is recommended that vine cover be established on selected portions of multiple buildings. Portions of buildings selected for vine treatment should demonstrate a high- value interpretive capacity, such as areas that maintained continuity of vine cover throughout the Period of Significance and present key interpretive views from either within or outside the historic core. Using this criteria, it is recommended that priority areas for establishing vine cover should include selected portions of the Pergola, the southwest corner of the Garage, the eastern façade of the Conservatory, and selected portions of the Martin House. [Fig. 205] The specimen of historic wisteria preserved off- site should be used to propagate replacement plantings for this vine treatment in at least one high-value interpretive location documented to include wisteria. When implementing vine treatments it should be acknowledged that a significant majority of the interpretive value of the historic property results from the architectural design work of Frank Lloyd Wright. Moreover, a substantial amount of preservation and reconstruction work has been completed on the site over the last several decades. Consequently, the value of being able to both see the architectural features (not cover them up, as many were during the Period of Significance) and protect the restoration investment should be carefully considered when determining appropriate levels of vine cover replacement with respect to the current use of the property. Vines also present a maintenance challenge, but one that can be overcome with proper planning. The key to successful vine replacement that meets the noted criteria and considerations is the development of a detailed maintenance plan. Generally, most vines should be pruned two to three times per year, with the first pruning occurring in spring in order to reduce the quantity of vegetative buds to create a manageable growth rate. A second optional pruning may be performed in late summer for particularly vigorous growth and a final pruning should be completed in fall. Urns, Window Boxes and Planters Very little documentation exists to identify the historic plant material present in urns and Fig. 205, top Plan showing areas documented to historically include vine plant material on structures (building or trellis). Priority areas for treatment have been identified. Fig. 206, bottom No specific documentation for urn plantings has been found. This ca. 1906 photograph shows characteristic plant material within urns through the Period of Significance. Priority vine treatment areas Historic vine areas documented