Jean-Claude Nicolas Forestier


Jean-Claude Nicolas Forestier was a French landscape architect, who trained with Adolphe Alphand and became conservator of the promenades of Paris.

Works

He developed an arboretum at Vincennes and the gardens of the Champ-de-Mars below the Eiffel Tower. In 1925 he became Inspector of Gardens for the International Exhibition of Decorative Arts and undertook projects in the Americas. In 1925, Forestier moved to Havana for five years to collaborate with architects and landscape designers. He designed the gardens for the El Capitolio and worked on the master plan of the city; his aim was to create a harmonic balance between classical forms and the tropical landscape. He embraced and connected the city’s road networks while accentuating prominent landmarks. His influence has left a huge mark on Havana although many of his ideas were cut short by the great depression in 1929. Forestier also made a plan for the improvement of Buenos Aires. In Spain, he designed the Maria Luisa Park in Seville and the gardens of La Casa del Rey Moro in Ronda.

Writings

Plan Piloto, Havana