By Jim Servin
Once beautiful, now enchanting, the garden at the Southampton Arts Center has undergone an inspired transformation, thanks to a $3.4 million gift from The Paulson Family Foundation. Last Labor Day, landscape architect Christopher LaGuardia, founder of LaGuardia Design Group, set to work preserving existing historic trees and imbuing the 2.7-acre space with greater order and elegance. Among the upgrades: expanded greenery, including Japanese forest grass, sedges and ferns. The proliferation of added flowering plants includes foxgloves, abelia and bleeding hearts, all deer-resistant; hydrangeas have been planted tall, above the deer browse line.
More than 50 new trees include dogwood, oak, linden, cherry and magnolia. Every square inch of the space has been thoughtfully refreshed, with thematically specific locations or “rooms” created by LaGuardia for contemplation, reading, picnics, recreation and performance (the outdoor stage has been moved to the northwest area). A 20-foot-wide fountain now graces the East Lawn. A children’s playground is bordered by protective landscaping, for a safer, more welcoming environment. Pathways have been rebuilt to enhance accessibility for all visitors, including those with strollers or wheelchairs.
Simone Levinson, chairperson of the Southampton Arts Center, marvels at the speed at which these changes were accomplished: “Chris LaGuardia presented the plan the Friday before Labor Day, and then I walked the plan across the street to Town Hall to show it to the trustee,” she says. “Chris assembled the best team, who were infused with a sense of pride and joy that they had the opportunity to leave their mark on these historic grounds for their children and grandchildren.”
Levinson says she loves seeing the delight in the faces of locals as they rediscover their local park turned botanical oasis, now named the Paulson Family Gardens. “People are giddy,” she says. “It had once been a pass-through. Now, you’re going to want to stop, have your lunch at a bench under a tree, while you’re looking at a beautiful sculpture.”
On August 22, toast the garden’s bountiful rebirth at the annual fundraising event for the Southampton Arts Center: “We are looking forward to thanking and honoring the Paulson family at our highly anticipated SummerFest gala,” says Levinson. “The community will come together in celebration.” southamptonartscenter.org
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