| James Pass Arboretum | |
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James Pass Arboretum
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| Location: | Bounded by Salisbury Road on south, S. Avery Ave. on east, Tompkins St. on north and town of Geddes on west Syracuse, New York |
| Area: | 12.1 acres (4.9 ha) |
| Built: | March 21, 1925 |
| Governing body: | City of Syracuse |
The James Pass Arboretum is located in Syracuse, New York on the western edge of Tipperary Hill on the city's Far Westside and is bounded by South Avery Avenue on the east, Tompkins Street on the north, and Salisbury Road on the south. The western boundary is Sacred Heart Cemetery in the town of Geddes and the northern side of the park also borders Myrtle Hill Cemetery.[1]
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James Pass Arboretum was once named Pass' Field and is still called that by many residents. James Pass, originally owned the property, which was down the street from his residence.[2] He was an English potter who came to Geddes and along with his father, Richard Pass, was instrumental in the formation of the Onondaga Pottery Company which later became Syracuse China. He also founded Pass & Seymour Inc.[3]
About 1880, Pass built a house on South Avery Avenue near Salisbury Road across the street from Burnet Park. He died in 1913. The home, a traditional English Tudor, was demolished in the early 1980s for a private school.[3]
Wife, Adelaide Pass was a member of the Salisbury family who had been Geddes salt makers and later managed Onondaga Pottery Company. She grew up at the corner of South Avery Avenue and Salisbury Road. The house was later moved to Tompkins Street and South Avery Avenue, facing the arboretum.[3]
After his death, wife, Adelaide S. Pass and family, donated the land on Arbor Day, March 21, 1925 to the city of Syracuse in her husband's honor. The property included about 120 trees and shrubs and had previously been known as Salisbury Farm.[1]
The donation was announced the next day by Mayor Walwrath who said "it is intended to pattern the Pass Arboretum after the famous Arnold Arboretum in Boston which attracts thousands from all parts of the country annually."[1]
The total acreage donated by the Pass family for the park was 12.1 acres (49,000 m2). The city, with the co-operation of the College of Forestry at Syracuse University, made plans to "start immediately on the development of the land with trees and shrubs. Complete development of the arboretum, however, will take years," city officials estimated.[1]
The property donated by the Pass family was located in the town of Geddes and officials were initially doubtful as to whether the city could accept property outside city borders. Plans were made to annex the tract, when Frank J. Cregg, corporation counsel, ruled that the city could legally accept property not within its limits.[1]
Original planting occurred in 1927, however, by that time, the gardener's house, pond and shrub collection that James Pass installed no longer existed.[1]
On March 21, 1929, Mayor Charles G. Hanna announced that appropriation of sufficient money to build a fence around James Pass Arboretum would be included in the spring bond issue that year. The arboretum was overrun by automobiles and some trees planted there had been mutilated and in some cases were cut down by local boys.[4] Later that year, on December 9, 1929 the mayor announced plans for a five-year program for improvements including construction of water mains and laterals on the grounds and erection of a fence around the property and an "ornamental gateway."[5]
Plans were also made to complete the drainage system and develop a series of walks as well as the proposed planting of 100 trees in the arboretum annually. A lake with water floral display at a cost of $2,000 was also discussed and establishment of a shrub garden and erection of a "comfort station" and workroom completed the program.[5]
The deed stipulated that the property must remain an arboretum and "never be used for a park." The deed also maintained that it be planted with native trees and the Pass family wished it to be "forever green." No flowers grow in a true arboretum. The only changes made over the years was the removal of trees, shrubs and hedges from the 1920s that died of old age and were not replaced, and a pond in the northeast corner was filled in.[3]
The property was formally annexed by the city in early 1929.[6]
By 2010, some of the varieties of trees that remained included a wide list of trees and shrubs.[7] The trees and shrubbery were originally labeled, however, the signage "vanished years ago."[3]
The arboretum also has shrubs and plantings such as;[7]