The Forestiere Underground Gardens in Fresno, California are a series of subterranean structures built by Baldassare Forestiere, an immigrant from Sicily, over a period of 40 years from 1906 to his death in 1946. The gardens are operated by members of the Forestiere family through the Forestiere Historical Center, and can be considered a spectacular and unconventional example of vernacular architecture.[3][4]
Baldassare Forestiere (Italian pronunciation:[baldasˈsarreforeˈstjɛːre]; July 8, 1879 – November 10, 1946) was born in the hamlet of Filari, near Rometta on the northeastern tip of Sicily.[5] He immigrated to the United States in the early 1900s after a conflict with his father, and after time on the East Coast purchased land in Fresno. He found the hardpan soil unsuitable for citrus trees, and the weather punishingly hot during the summer.[6]
Baldassare dug a small cellar to escape the summer heat. He was likely influenced by Roman catacombs and wine cellars he had seen in Italy. Finding it effective and comfortable, he carved a series of attached rooms and took up residence there. Baldassare then began experimenting with growing trees in underground chambers with skylights, and found that with care they would grow well, and being below ground protected them from frost. Baldassare continued expanding and improving these underground gardens until his death in 1946, using hand tools and a pair of mules.[6]
There are 65 rooms in the Forestiere Underground Gardens.[7] It has a summer bedroom, a winter bedroom, a bath, a functional kitchen, a fishpond, and a parlor with a fireplace.[8] Interspersed amongst the stone walls and archways are grottoes and courtyards that allow for pockets of light. The intricate pathways were created section by section, over a span of 10 acres (4.0 ha), without the aid of blueprints.[9] There are three levels within the underground structure, one 10 feet (3.0 m) deep, one 20 feet (6.1 m) deep, and one 23 feet (7.0 m) deep.
The gardens have skylights and catch basins for water. The dirt that was moved to create the large structure was used elsewhere to fill planters, create stones placed within the catacombs, and to level out other parts of the land. The hardpan he excavated was reused as bricks for archways and supports. The pathways and rooms were constructed with various widths to help direct airflow by creating pressure as it moves through narrower portions and maintain movement as it bounces off the slants and curves of the cavernous walls. The conical skylights allow for the hot air to be pushed out more quickly and the cool air to remain below.
The plants and trees, some of which are over 100 years old, are protected from the frost in the winter months by virtue of construction. Each level was planted at different times, so they bloom in succession, in order to lengthen the growing season. It houses a variety of fruit ranging from citrus and berries to exotic fruits like the kumquat, loquat, and jujube. The trees have been grafted to bear more than one kind of fruit, allowing for a larger variety to be grown throughout the space. Trees and vines were also planted above the dwelling, acting as insulation and forming canopies that provide protection from the elements.
Depictionsedit
Citrus trees at the Forestiere Underground Gardens
T. Coraghessan Boyle wrote a fictionalized account of Forestiere, the short story "The Underground Gardens," which was published in The New Yorker in 1998.[10]
See alsoedit
Burro Schmidt Tunnel is a 0.5 miles (0.80 km) mining tunnel dug with hand tools and dynamite over a 38-year period
Ferdinand Cheval, a French postman who constructed an "ideal palace" out of rocks in his spare time.
Hermit House, a residence located in Herzliya, Israel with mosaics constructed by one man over thirty years.
^"Forestiere Underground Gardens". Office of Historic Preservation, California State Parks. Retrieved 2012-09-05.
^Fiore, Teresa (2002). "Mid-Twentieth-Century Italian American Immigrant Spaces: Religious and Political Visions of Change in Architectural and Narrative Texts". Pre-Occupied Spaces: Re-configuring the Italian Nation Through its Migrations (Ph.D. thesis). La Jolla, CA: University of California, San Diego. p. 35. Document No.3064464 – via ProQuest Dissertations Publishing.
forestiere, underground, gardens, fresno, california, series, subterranean, structures, built, baldassare, forestiere, immigrant, from, sicily, over, period, years, from, 1906, death, 1946, gardens, operated, members, forestiere, family, through, forestiere, h. The Forestiere Underground Gardens in Fresno California are a series of subterranean structures built by Baldassare Forestiere an immigrant from Sicily over a period of 40 years from 1906 to his death in 1946 The gardens are operated by members of the Forestiere family through the Forestiere Historical Center and can be considered a spectacular and unconventional example of vernacular architecture 3 4 Forestiere Underground GardensU S National Register of Historic PlacesCalifornia Historical Landmark No 916 2 Show map of Fresno CaliforniaShow map of CaliforniaShow map of the United StatesLocation5021 W Shaw Ave Fresno CaliforniaCoordinates36 48 26 N 119 52 51 W 36 80722 N 119 88083 W 36 80722 119 88083ArchitectForestiere BaldasareNRHP reference No 77000293 1 CHISL No 916 2 Added to NRHPOctober 28 1977 Contents 1 History 2 Design 3 Depictions 4 See also 5 References 6 External linksHistory editBaldassare Forestiere Italian pronunciation baldasˈsarre foreˈstjɛːre July 8 1879 November 10 1946 was born in the hamlet of Filari near Rometta on the northeastern tip of Sicily 5 He immigrated to the United States in the early 1900s after a conflict with his father and after time on the East Coast purchased land in Fresno He found the hardpan soil unsuitable for citrus trees and the weather punishingly hot during the summer 6 Baldassare dug a small cellar to escape the summer heat He was likely influenced by Roman catacombs and wine cellars he had seen in Italy Finding it effective and comfortable he carved a series of attached rooms and took up residence there Baldassare then began experimenting with growing trees in underground chambers with skylights and found that with care they would grow well and being below ground protected them from frost Baldassare continued expanding and improving these underground gardens until his death in 1946 using hand tools and a pair of mules 6 The gardens were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977 and registered as No 916 on the list of California Historical Landmarks in 1978 Design edit nbsp Another view from the street There are 65 rooms in the Forestiere Underground Gardens 7 It has a summer bedroom a winter bedroom a bath a functional kitchen a fishpond and a parlor with a fireplace 8 Interspersed amongst the stone walls and archways are grottoes and courtyards that allow for pockets of light The intricate pathways were created section by section over a span of 10 acres 4 0 ha without the aid of blueprints 9 There are three levels within the underground structure one 10 feet 3 0 m deep one 20 feet 6 1 m deep and one 23 feet 7 0 m deep The gardens have skylights and catch basins for water The dirt that was moved to create the large structure was used elsewhere to fill planters create stones placed within the catacombs and to level out other parts of the land The hardpan he excavated was reused as bricks for archways and supports The pathways and rooms were constructed with various widths to help direct airflow by creating pressure as it moves through narrower portions and maintain movement as it bounces off the slants and curves of the cavernous walls The conical skylights allow for the hot air to be pushed out more quickly and the cool air to remain below The plants and trees some of which are over 100 years old are protected from the frost in the winter months by virtue of construction Each level was planted at different times so they bloom in succession in order to lengthen the growing season It houses a variety of fruit ranging from citrus and berries to exotic fruits like the kumquat loquat and jujube The trees have been grafted to bear more than one kind of fruit allowing for a larger variety to be grown throughout the space Trees and vines were also planted above the dwelling acting as insulation and forming canopies that provide protection from the elements Depictions edit nbsp Citrus trees at the Forestiere Underground Gardens T Coraghessan Boyle wrote a fictionalized account of Forestiere the short story The Underground Gardens which was published in The New Yorker in 1998 10 See also editBurro Schmidt Tunnel is a 0 5 miles 0 80 km mining tunnel dug with hand tools and dynamite over a 38 year period Ferdinand Cheval a French postman who constructed an ideal palace out of rocks in his spare time Hermit House a residence located in Herzliya Israel with mosaics constructed by one man over thirty years House on the Rock Alex Jordan Jr constructed Japanese House atop rock pinnacle in Spring Green Wisconsin Nitt Witt Ridge a house in Cambria California constructed in a similar style Watts Towers in Los Angeles a collection of 17 interconnected structures built by Italian immigrant Sabato Rodia Hobby tunnelingReferences edit National Register Information System National Register of Historic Places National Park Service April 15 2008 Forestiere Underground Gardens Office of Historic Preservation California State Parks Retrieved 2012 09 05 Fiore Teresa 2002 Mid Twentieth Century Italian American Immigrant Spaces Religious and Political Visions of Change in Architectural and Narrative Texts Pre Occupied Spaces Re configuring the Italian Nation Through its Migrations Ph D thesis La Jolla CA University of California San Diego p 35 Document No 3064464 via ProQuest Dissertations Publishing Torchia Joseph 1978 The Underground World In Baldwin J Brand Stewart eds Soft Tech A CoEvolution Book Harmondsworth Eng Penguin Books pp 98 101 ISBN 0 14 004806 5 OCLC 4513768 Manno Silvio 2005 The Forestiere Underground Gardens A Pictorial Journey Ionian Publications p 3 ISBN 9780974491165 a b Forestiere Forestiere Historical Center 2021 07 20 Retrieved 2022 01 27 BURIED TREASURE A Legal Battle Soils the Splendor of Subterranean Gardens Los Angeles Times Aug 13 1989 Underground Forestiere Historical Center 2021 07 20 Archived from the original on 2013 04 14 Retrieved 2022 01 27 Forestiere Underground Gardens Archived from the original on 2013 05 12 Retrieved 2013 04 27 Boyle T Coraghessan 1998 05 18 The Underground Gardens The New Yorker Retrieved 2022 01 27 External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Forestiere Underground Gardens Official Website Forestiere Underground Gardens Forestiere Historical Center and Underground Gardens Baldasare s Magnum Opus Thomas Curwen January 29 2004 Dreams dwelled here Los Angeles Times Baldasare Forestiere s Underground Gardens Under California California s Gold 509 Huell Howser Archive Chapman University 1994 Archived from the original on 18 May 2013 Retrieved 31 May 2013 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Forestiere Underground Gardens amp oldid 1210304347, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
