“The Washington Avenue entrance is now improved with wrought iron gates of graceful design with simple but massive granite piers that will endure for the ages. Mr. O.C.Simmonds’ plan for planting at this entrance, when fully carried out, was very pleasing in effect. The public service building, combining restrooms and sexton’s office, which was built in 1913, covers a long-desired necessity and is artistic in giving a proper setting to the main entrance. “ From: History of Saginaw County, Michigan by James Cooke Mills, 1918
About 1910, the City of Saginaw engaged noted landscape architect O.C. Simmonds to rework the Washington Avenue entrance to Forest Lawn Cemetery. His work included reworking the driveways leading to the chapel and the surrounding landscape.
Below are three links that will take you to three of the many websites that discuss Simmonds’ contribution to American landscape design: https://tclf.org/pioneer/oc-simonds https://aadl.org/aafounders_ocsimonds https://www.winnetkahistory.org/gazette/o-c-simonds
