The National Garden Clubs Headquarters

The National Garden Clubs, Inc. (NGC) was founded in 1929 and is a not-for-profit educational organization headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri. The original building and grounds were completed in 1959 and have been widely recognized as one of the best examples of Mid-Century Architecture. In the winter of 2016, the board of directors committed to re-envision the NGC entrance along with its landscape and parking lot.

It was critical to the success of NGC to provide a new entry design that would be forward-thinking while also speaking to the history and beauty of gardens. During the design process, it became evident the need for parking was limited to just a few times a year. This provided an excellent opportunity to rethink how the entry could be transformed into a more performative landscape. The design focuses on extending the garden terrace outward by organizing the space on a strong north-south axis and creating a new east-west axis that terminates on a bespoke garden wall and quiet seating alcove. This organization provides the framework for permeable grass-paved parking spaces, rain gardens, seating nodes, accessible terraces, garden walls, and a well-identified entrance.

SWT Design carefully detailed all aspects of the garden to be in balance with the historic facilities. The main entrance garden wall helps to form the new courtyard while serving as a contemporary identity to the public street and new vehicular entrance. The western terminus to the garden court is a small seating terrace and a garden wall featuring a stone bas-relief sculpture. The design team and artist collaborated to create a meaningful reminder of the membership's heritage and diversity while inspiring the gardens' beauty.

2023 Merit Award
St. Louis Chapter American Society of Landscape Architects