140. Front Lawn 141. Interior Courtyard 142. Existing Condition

28   DONALD GORDON CENTRE The Donald Gordon Centre has recently been renovated to improve its conference facilities. The pastoral landscape of the historic manor and recent landscapes should continue to receive higher levels of maintenance and renewal. Priority rating: 3 The Donald Gordon Centre retains many of the trees from the property's origins as a prominent villa. The trees at the front are quite majestic and create a pastoral setting for the recently renovated conference centre. They include Linden, Sugar Maple, Norway Maple, Ash, Red Oak, White Oak, Walnut, Butternut, and Black Locust. Many of these trees are in poor condition, a combination of age and storm damage. The Union Street edge is open, allowing clear views into the property. The east boundary is densely planted with a hedgerow that screens the property from adjacent residents. The new interior courtyard is quite pleasant, with shrub plantings and Honeylocusts providing light shade to patio areas. A number of new plantings of various species have been initiated to replace the lost canopy, such as Turkish Hazel, Chestnut, and Ginkgo, in keeping with the Victorian style of planting trees of horticultural diversity and interest. Plant identification plaques should be considered to add interpretive interest for visitors. Continuation of the plant renewal program and increasing maintenance to include a regularly scheduled program of pruning, fertilizing and cabling would sustain this space at an appropriate level. New plantings should generally occur in soft landscape areas, and should be installed in adequate mulch beds and spaced appropriately to allow for optimum growth. The pastoral character of this landscape is very similar to Summerhill Park, and should be renewed and maintained with a similar approach. Species recommendation    Acer sp., Maple species (Sugar, Red)    Aesculus hippocastanum, Horsechestnut    Carya sp., Hickory species (Bitternut, Shagbark)    Fagus sp., Beech species (American, European, Copper)    Gingko biloba, Maidenhair Tree    Gymnocladus dioicus, Kentucky Coffeetree    Liriodendron tulipifera, Tulip Tree    Platanus acerifolia, London Planetree    Quercus alba, White Oak    Abies concolor, Silver Fir    Picea abies, Norway Spruce    Picea pungens, Colorado Spruce, also 'Hoopsii' Blue cultivar    Pinus strobus, White Pine    Tsuga canadensis, Hemlock