Frits Loonsten

(Feb. 24, 1909-July 26, 1989). Born in the Netherlands, Loonsten studied at the Royal School of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture in Boskoop, Holland. He came to the United States in 1928 to visit his brother in Chicago where he then took up residence for many years. He soon met and became partners with Erick Bushholtz, a prominent landscape architect. Together they designed landscapes for many Wisconsin estates. When Bushholtz retired, Loonsten gained control of the firm.

In the 1930s, Loonsten came to Indianapolis, having heard that the city needed landscape architects and was less hard hit by the Great Depression than many other urban areas. His first work in the city was the design of the Flowering Walk at Westerly, the George Henry Alexander Clowes estate on Spring Hollow Road. In 1938, he designed a village street to complement a Colonial Williamsburg-style home at the Indianapolis Home Show. Loonsten’s Home Show work so impressed Indiana University president Herman B. Wells that he recruited Loonsten as the landscape architect for IU.

After moving to Indianapolis, Loonsten worked in both commercial and estate design. His local work included the plaza outside the Joseph Taylor Hall, the original IUPUI library, Marian College’s Japanese Tea Garden, the Eli Lilly estate, the period plantings at the Benjamin Harrison House, and a traditional knot garden at Trinity Episcopal Church.

For 31 years, beginning with the first show, he displayed a garden at the Flower and Patio Show. Loonsten also worked in tandem with other landscape architects on the design for the grounds of the Harrison Eiteljorg estate and St. Vincent Hospital’s landscaping. When possible, Loonsten worked with architects on building placement and attempted to retain the area’s natural trees. He said that “a good landscape architect must be first a good gardener.”

Help improve this entry

Contribute information, offer corrections, suggest images.

You can also recommend new entries related to this topic.