Clermont Huger Lee

Landscape architects are the seldom thought-of designers of beautiful cities. One such architect was not only the first female landscape architect of Georgia but also responsible for many of the historical gardens in Savannah.

Clermont Huger Lee was a Savannah-born landscape architect of the 20^th century, responsible for the revival and restoration of many historical gardens in Savannah. Her meticulous attention to detail helped Savannah become the picturesque tourist attraction that it is today.

Early Life

Clermont Huger Lee was born in 1914 in Savannah, Georgia. Although she went to school elsewhere, she returned to her native Georgia soon after graduation. 

Clermont Huger Lee earned an undergraduate degree and a Master's in Landscape Architecture from Smith College near Harvard University. While Harvard faculty at the time were into Modernist Bauhaus architecture, Lee was a lover of traditional landscape styles. 

Landscape Jobs

Lee’s first job after graduation was as an assistant to landscape architect Talmidge Baumgardner during the Great Depression. She landscaped and designed planting operations for many federal housing projects in Savannah and Brunswick.

Lee began her life’s work of creating historical gardens in 1940. She started with landscape design for the small garden at Hofwyl-Broadfield Plantation, in Brunswick, Georgia, based on 1910 photographs. Later, she drew plans for ten Victorian-era gardens in Savannah for the Georgia Historical Society. When she was commissioned to create a historically accurate garden for the Andrew Low home, she researched antebellum planting referencing the 1933 book Garden History of Georgia, 1733 – 1933. 

Private Practice

By 1949, Lee decided to stop working for Talmidge and start her own practice. She became the first female professional landscape architect in private practice in Savannah. While many landscape architects at the time were happy with creating a simplified Colonial Revival-style historical garden, Lee was devoted to meticulous researching before planning a historical garden.

She worked on historic landmark properties such as the Owens-Thomas House, the Juliette Gordon Low Birthplace, the Andrew Low House, and the Green-Meldrim House.

In 1951, Lee partnered with Mills B. Lane Jr to restore historical houses in northeast Savannah, Georgia. One of these houses and gardens is that of the great Savannahian author Flannery O’Connor, located in Lafayette Square.

On one occasion, her plans for the development of four local Savannah squares: Madison, Troup, Warren, and Washington came under scrutiny from the city. The city wanted drive-through lanes for emergency crews and buses crossing the middle of all squares. To accommodate this, Lee suggested curving the entries of the square to accommodate the wide turning radius required by a bus.

Professional Pride

Clermont Huger Lee was passionate about giving her profession the recognition it deserved. Lee was part of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) and worked with architect Hubert Bond Owens, the head of the Department of Landscape Architecture at the University of Georgia, to create the Georgia State Board of Landscape Architects.

Personal Interests

Lee remained passionate about historic landscape design her whole life, keeping detailed logs of blooming times and characteristics of regional herbaceous plants. She planned to write a book on the subject one day. She loved to learn about genealogy, writing a book on her personal family line and others in Savannah, The Joseph Alston Huger Family: Their Line of Descent from Daniel and Margaret Pedriau Huger of France and South Carolina, published in 2002. Clermont Huger Lee died at the age of 92 in Savannah, Georgia, on June 14, 2006.

Awards

Lee was posthumously awarded the 2017 Georgia Women of Achievement and the 2020 Savannah College of Art and Design's Savannah Women of Vision. She was honored on the house floor in Washington, DC, by US Representative Buddy Carter on February 12, 2020.

Clermont Huger Lee was known for her in-depth knowledge and research of English and American garden in the antebellum period. She worked tirelessly with other landscape architects to ensure the garden was as authentic as possible. Lee's commitment to strong and simple designs that were both practical and aesthetic made her a well-sought-after landscape architect in Georgia. Thanks in part to her work in Savannah, Savannah, Georgia is known as a historic city throughout America.

Savannah Attractions

You can still marvel at Lee's work in Savannah, Georgia, by visiting the Owens-Thomas House, the Juliette Gordon Low Birthplace, Fort Pulaski National Monument, the Isaiah Davenport House, and the Flannery O'Connor Childhood Home. You can also view the fruits of her labor at Troup, Madison, Washington, and Warren historic squares in Savannah, Georgia.

Have you heard about Clermont Huger Lee before? What house or garden will you be visiting first in Savannah, Georgia?