Gilmore David Clarke

Gilmore David Clarke ( born July 12, 1892 in New York City; † August 8, 1982 at sea) was an American civil engineer and landscape architect. He designed many public spaces in New York City, including parts of Central Park as the Conservatory Garden.

Life

Clarke studied at Cornell University Landscape Architecture and Engineering and completed his studies in 1913 with a Bachelor of Science degree. During the First World War he served in the U.S. Army as an Engineer. After the war he worked for various committees at the regional and federal levels. He was one of the architectural advisory boards for the Capitol in Washington and the New York State Council of Parks. For his work in Westchester County 1931, he was awarded the gold medal of the Architectural League of New York. In 1934 he was consultant of the New York City Parks Department under the urban planner Robert Moses. His work included the design of the Central Park Zoo, the extension of Riverside Park and other public spaces. At Cornell University in 1939 he was dean. Clarke was a landscape architect of the New York World 's Fair 1939/40, and was later involved in the Fair 1964 /65. He also provided the design of the Unisphere. Both as a landscape architect as well as an engineer Clarke was in charge of the Garden State Parkway and other highways. In addition to his practical activity, he also sat from 1937 to 1950 in the Commission of the USA ( United States Commission of Fine Arts) of Fine Arts. In 1972 he retired from from his company. In 1982, he died on board the ship Royal Viking Star on a cruise off the coast of Denmark.