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Elizabeth Lawrence House and Garden

Elizabeth Lawrence House and Garden: Colonial Revival, National Register listed 2006-09-14.

Single-storey white painted house with a low-pitched roof and a brick chimney, partly screened by dense shrubs and planting.
Elizabeth Lawrence House and Garden. Nyttend · Public domain · source
Address348 Ridgewood Ave., Charlotte
Architectural styleColonial Revival
National Registerref 06000866, listed 2006-09-14
Research depthdossier, independently sourced

What we established, and from where

  • Elizabeth Lawrence built the house at 348 Ridgewood Avenue in 1948-1949 and lived there until October 1984.

    independent National Park Service / NC SHPO · checked 2026-09-18

  • Elizabeth Lawrence departed from her neighbours' conventional lawns by laying out a gravel-covered entrance court in front of her house.

    independent National Park Service / NC SHPO · checked 2026-09-18

  • As a gardener, writer and plantswoman, Elizabeth Lawrence brought a distinctive approach to planting that was unique in Charlotte.

    independent National Park Service / NC SHPO · checked 2026-09-18

  • In her own writing, Elizabeth Lawrence explained that moving to Charlotte meant making one small garden serve for all seasons.

    independent National Park Service / NC SHPO · checked 2026-09-18

  • Elizabeth Lawrence worked from 1949 to 1984 in her study, where she produced the manuscripts for three books published in her lifetime and two more published posthumously.

    independent National Park Service / NC SHPO · checked 2026-09-18

  • The property met National Register Criteria B and C, holding national significance in the fields of literature and landscape architecture.

    independent National Park Service / NC SHPO · checked 2026-09-18

  • As recorded in the 2006 nomination, the garden survives as the most intact and best-preserved example of the work of the first woman to graduate in landscape architecture from North Carolina State University.

    independent National Park Service / NC SHPO · checked 2026-09-18

  • Elizabeth Lawrence drew on her Charlotte garden for her Charlotte Observer columns, published between 1957 and 1971, and for two books written during her years at the house.

    independent National Park Service / NC SHPO · checked 2026-09-18

  • The first book-length biography of Elizabeth Lawrence, No One Gardens Alone by Emily Herring Wilson, was published in 2004 and issued in paperback in 2005.

    independent National Park Service / NC SHPO · checked 2026-09-18

  • The Charlotte Observer introduced readers to the Ridgewood Avenue garden in 1957 when it launched a weekly garden column written by Elizabeth Lawrence.

    independent National Park Service / NC SHPO · checked 2026-09-18

The primary source

The National Register nomination is the fullest account of this property that exists, written by a researcher and reviewed by the State Historic Preservation Office. The nomination (National Park Service).

Official record

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