Canandaigua -- Sonnenberg Gardens

Sonnenberg was the summer home of Frederick Ferris and Mary Clark Thompson, who purchased the property in 1863. A 40-room Queen Anne style mansion was built between 1885 and 1887, while the gardens as they exist today were developed between 1903 and 1920. Initially, Boston landscape architect Ernest Bowditch and subsequently his assistant John Handrahan (who worked independently for Mrs. Thompson after about 1903) were responsible for their creation along with other individuals including K. Wadamori (the Japanese garden) and Francis Allen (the Roman bath). Besides the Japanese garden and Roman bath, garden areas include a formal Italian garden, a blue and white garden, a rose garden, an old-fashioned garden, and a rock garden. Specimen trees punctuate the flowing lawns, while a Lord & Burnham conservatory and greenhouse complex is a highlight of the property. Following Mary Thompson's death in 1923 the property passed to her nephew, Emory Clark, who in turn sold it to the United States Government in 1931. In 1973 the non-profit "Sonnenberg Gardens" organization acquired the core 52 acres of the property, including the gardens and mansion, which were opened to the public. Various restoration efforts ensued, including those of landscape architect Noreda A. Rotunno, and in 2005 the estate became the fifth state historic park in New York State.

Persons associated with the property include Mary Lee Clark Thompson (former owner, 1863-1923); Frederick Ferris Thompson (former owner, 1863-1899); Emory Clark (former owner, 1923-1931); Ernest W. Bowditch (landscape architect, ca. 1900-1907); John Handrahan (landscape architect, ca. 1900-1921); K. Wadamori (landscape designer, 1906-1908); Francis Allen (architect, 1914); and Noreda A. Rotunno (landscape architect, 1972-1977).