National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior

APPENDIX 5
JAMES L. GREENLEAF BIOGRAPHY 1483
After beginning a successful career in civil engineering, James L. Greenleaf began the
private practice of landscape architecture in 1894 and ceased active practice around 1926.
Among his best known works are the country places of Frederick Vanderbilt, Hyde Park, NY;
Samuel Insull, Lake Forest, IL; D.C. Blair, Bar Harbor, ME, Harold I. Pratt and George D. Pratt,
Glen Cove, Long Island; Mortimer L. Schiff, Oyster Bay, Long Island; and C. Ledyard Blair, Far
Hills, NY.
Greenleaf was elected a Fellow of the American Society of Landscape Architects in 1904.
He served as President of its New York Chapter in 1914 and 1915, as Trustee of the Society from
1920-1923, and as its President from 1923-1926. During World War I, Mr. Greenleaf rendered
part-time service in 1918 and 1919 as Camp Planner in the War Department, Construction
Division, Camp Planning Section, during which time he was responsible for the plan of Camp
Lee, Petersburg, VA. He also served as Town Planner in the Town Planning Division, U.S.
Housing Corporation, for its project at Charleston, WV.
In 1918 he was appointed by President Wilson as the landscape member of the National
Commission of Fine Arts to replace the post vacated by Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr. He was
reappointed in 1923 by President Harding and continued to serve the Commission until 1927,
when he was replaced by Ferrucio Vitale. During Greenleaf's service to the Commission, he was
landscape architect consultant in 1931 and 1932 for the Arlington Memorial Bridge. In 1919,
Greenleaf served with a special committee of the Fine Arts Commission in planning the
development of the American Cemeteries in Europe. The final plans for the cemeteries were
based on the recommendation of this committee.
From 1924 to 1926 he represented the profession of landscape architecture as Vice-
President of the Architectural League of New York and from 1920 to 1925 he served as a
member of the Jury in Landscape Architecture of the American Academy in Rome. In 1921 Mr.
Greenleaf was awarded the Gold Medal in Landscape Architecture by the Architectural League
of New York for his work at Blairsden, the country place of Mr. Ledyard Blair, and several other
country places at Glen Cove, Long Island.
Representative Country Place Era Landscape Design by James L. Greenleaf:
1. George S. Brewster, Fairleigh Brookville, NY
2. James B. Duke Estate, Somerville, NY
3. Samuel Insull, Lake Forest, IL
4. Joseph M. Cudahy Innisfail Lake Forest, IL
1483
Excerpted From American Society of Landscape Architects Council of Fellows - Histories Project,
ASLA, Washington, D.C.
327