Richmond campus is defined by the graceful designs of Charles Gillette
CAMPUS LIFE
Horticulturist Allison Moyer leads the way down a brick staircase at the back of Keller Hall to a brick-walled gate with a door. A plaque above it designates this space as the Willie Gray Shepherd Memorial Garden, established in 1937. Moyer unlocks the door and opens it, revealing a sunken, walled garden. This is one of two gardens created on campus by Charles F. Gillette, a prominent landscape architect of the 20th century.
“This is probably my favorite garden on campus, but it's forgotten because it's so hidden,” said Moyer, the associate director of landscape services.
Although the main gate is now kept locked, guests can still access the garden through Keller Hall, which is home to a residence hall and classroom space. Keller Hall was formerly the location of a tearoom, where guests could step onto the garden’s brick patio. The garden features a formal lawn at its center, including a small pond where koi once swam. Boxwoods outline the flower beds and line the brick walkways around the perimeter. Colorful camellias, azaleas, and spring bulbs brighten the space.
“Charles Gillette was a very formal landscape architect, so both of his gardens on campus have very formal designs. He liked structure in his gardens,” she said, as rain drips off a gazebo’s slate roof. “He was very thoughtful in his designs. Everywhere there are multiple access points.”
Born in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, in 1886, Gillette apprenticed with legendary landscape architect Warren Manning of Boston. He arrived in Richmond in 1911, to supervise the landscaping of the new site for the University of Richmond, then known as Richmond College. He executed the campus’s landscape plan, which included laying out meandering roads through the hilly terrain and plantings near Westhampton Lake.
He also added his own gardens over time. In addition to the Willie Gray Shepherd Memorial Garden, he designed the garden behind the Westhampton Deanery, which now features sculptures and a meditation space.
Other campus gardens, such as the one with five lions at Weinstein Hall, a trefoil lawn outside the chapel, and a garden behind the Refectory, were not designed by Gillette but reflect his aesthetic.
“If you look at the majority of the university landscape it is very formal, and we use lots of boxwood — a Charles Gillette staple,” said Moyer.
In addition to the University of Richmond, Gillette created 2,500 landscapes during his lifetime, primarily in Virginia and North Carolina. His designs can be found in grand estates such as Agecroft Hall, the Virginia House, and Windsor, as well as at the Governor’s Mansion, Norfolk Botanical Gardens, William & Mary, Davidson College, and Wake Forest University.
Gillette maintained his relationship with the University of Richmond until his death in 1969.
When asked how she felt to be the caretaker of Gillette’s gardens, Moyer smiled.
“It’s an honor, to be honest with you,” she said. “I think it's important to maintain the good structure and the bones that he designed because they serve as a gateway to the history of the university.”
Willie Gray Shepherd Memorial Garden
This hidden garden is located behind Keller Hall. Gillette’s original plantings are still intact, including three-story high crepe myrtles.
Garden of Five Lions
Although not designed by Charles Gillette, the Garden of Five Lions, located outside Weinstein Hall, has a similar aesthetic with its walled garden, formal plantings, and fountain. Visitors can find five lions scattered throughout the garden, which was built in 2003.
Westhampton Sculpture Garden
Charles Gillette designed the garden behind the Westhampton College Dean’s Office, known as the Deanery. In 2022, the garden was transformed into a meditation space. Gillette advocated for wellness through the serenity of nature.
