Allee
Mr. King’s vista ended at a large bench. We know the bench only from photographs, but it appeared to be made of stone.
Over the years the simple swath through the woods became more and more of a horticultural feature as plantings were added to adjacent woodlands. A terrace was constructed for an herb garden between the vista and Kingwood Hall’s forecourt, then the edges of the vista were formalized with garden beds and the area came to be known as the Allee.
Following the death of George Draffan, Kingwood’s first Administrative Board Chair, a fountain in his name was funded by his family. The Draffan Fountain assumed the focal point position of Mr. King’s bench. The fountain was completed in the mid 1960’s.
Most recently, the Allee has become the connector between the new Garden Gateway Center and Kingwood Hall. The aging Draffan Fountain was repositioned and reconstructed in the Draffan Garden Terrace of the Garden Gateway.
Tree lined vistas were a standard feature of American country estates of the early 20th century, and Mr. King’s Kingwood was no exception. Although, not literally tree-lined and thus technically not an allee, the name has been associated with our vista for so long we are sticking with it. Stan Hywet Hall in Akron, Ohio has one of the most famous allees from the country place era. It is lined with white barked birch trees.
The step-down terrace (Allee Terrace) from the forecourt of Kingwood Hall was built in the 1970’s for an herb garden. About thirty-five years later the herb garden was moved to a sunnier location and the Allee Terrace became a seasonal display garden. With its cathedral-like canopy of trees, the Allee and Allee Terrace became a quick favorite when Kingwood began hosting wedding ceremonies.
Lining the Allee with tulips, followed by annuals and hanging baskets has been a long tradition at Kingwood, and it has inspired some of our most widely acclaimed garden photographs.
In 2019 and 2020, construction temporarily disturbed the beauty of the Allee with the moving of the Draffan Fountain and the installation of new irrigation lines and drainage systems to help manage surface-water. However, it has emerged from the construction as an essential and picturesque connector between the two primary buildings at Kingwood Center Gardens, Kingwood Hall and the Garden Gateway.
