Jeff Miller
The Arboretum in four seasons.
It’s gratifying that the U.S. National Park Service has realized how special the UW Arboretum is, officially recognizing it as a National Historic Landmark. But residents of Madison have known this for a long time.
The nature preserve and outdoor research laboratory has previously been listed on the National Register of Historic Places (the nation’s official list of “historic places worthy of preservation,” according to the National Park Service), but the National Historic Landmark designation is for “historic places that hold national significance.” The UW Arboretum was nominated in a thorough 94-page document written by Madison architectural historian Elizabeth Miller, who details the Arb’s significance as a pioneering site in the restoration of native landscapes and conservation of degraded landscapes, including prairie, savannah and wetlands.
Isthmus took a long and wide-ranging look at the Arboretum with a special issue in April 2018. You may remember it too because, in a break with tradition, Isthmus was printed with four different covers: photos of the Arboretum in spring, summer, fall and winter. There are articles on the Arboretum’s history, current research, use of citizen scientists, the distinctive visual look of the signs, and even just ways to have fun there.
National Historic Landmarks are most often buildings but also include whole districts, objects (there’s a National Historic Landmark that’s a rock in Sauk County) and overall sites like the Arboretum. There are now 44 National Historic Landmarks in Wisconsin and 11 in Dane County, including the Wisconsin state Capitol. Other than the Arboretum, the Dane County landmarks are all buildings and many are designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.
