Central Michigan Nursery
Established in 1864 and incorporated in 1894
The 1906 Michigan Gazetteer lists William E. Upjohn, president, C.A. Krill, Secretary, A.J. Smith, Manager of the Greenhouse Department and E. C. Foster, Landscape Architect.
According to The Compendium of History and Biography: Kalamazoo County:
“Extensive Greenhouses, together with several hundred acres of land are located at Kalamazoo. . . The office and salesrooms are located at 306 West Main Street, and in connection with this business they plan and execute landscape gardening, the beautifying of home grounds of public and private parks.”1
Textual records indicate that the plan for Jeffers Park was supplied by Central Michigan Nurseries’ Landscape Architect, Elmer C. Foster, and that the firm supplied and installed the plant materials in the park. Elmer C. Foster was associated with the Central Michigan Nursery as a landscape architect. At this point, no information regarding Foster’s career and training have been located.
Representative Work:
Saginaw:
Jeffers Park
Saginaw parks and cemetery records indicate that Central Michigan Nurseries was engaged to prepare plans for Bliss Park in Saginaw. These plans do not appear to have been executed.
Sources
1“The Central Michigan Nursery.” Compendium of History and Biography of Kalamazoo, Mich. Ed. David Fisher and Frank Little. Chicago: A.W. Bowen & Co. 1906. 76.
Michigan State Gamester and Business Directory, 1905 -1906. 1319.
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