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October 28, 2005
Enid A. Haupt
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The death earlier this week of philanthropist Enid A. Haupt at age 99 leads to reflection on the impact of certain philanthropists on our personal as well as civic well being. Mrs. Haupt was described in an obituary published in the New York Times by the New York Botanical Garden today as "the greatest patron American horticulture has ever known" and for once the description is not empty hyperbole but a well deserved encomium. She funded the restoration of the Conservatory at NYBG, now the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, she paid for the children's garden at the Rusk Institute, a haven for young patients undergoing long-term rehabilitation. She was the lead donor to the four-acre Enid A. Haupt Garden at the Smithsonian on the Washington Mall. A longtime patron of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, she endowed the gardens at The Cloisters. This list does not begin to account for Mrs. Haupt's extensive generosity to Memorial Sloan Kettering, to the American Horticultural Society and to countless smaller or less visible organizations.
Consider some of her more public gestures. In the 1970s she rescued the 19th century Conservatory at NYBG from ruin, she also funded its recent transformation into a state of the art glass house. It is now a twenty-first century greenhouse within a 19th century work of art. The gardens at the Cloisters remain for Citygardenguide, and we suspect for many New Yorkers, one of the essential sanctuaries of our city. A place we return to again and again, for respite, for celebration, for renewal. We owe these gifts to Mrs. Haupt. The world of horticulture is relatively small, especially in proportion to the amount of pleasure it gives. The list of donors to public gardens is also small, in our travels around the city researching Garden Guide: New York City, we encountered the same names again and again. Mrs. Haupt's stood out in that select group both for her reach and the size of her contributions.
It would be comforting to think that waiting in the wings is another great benefactor- a go to person for those huge, expensive projects that can make such a positive difference to our quality of life, but which seem beyond the reach of normal governmental or philanthropic support because they are deemed non essential or frivolous.
It galls us that horticulture, especially public horticulture, should be considered so peripheral to the public good - but that is the case. Sadly, there probably isn't another individual with Enid Haupt's interests, generosity and means. In her case another often cited, rarely deserved phrase, most definitely applies - we shall not see her like again.
Posted by gardenguidenyc at October 28, 2005 08:41 PM