Manitoga: Force Of Nature, Photo Gallery

Manitoga, a modernist architectural gem and its surrounding 75 acres of lush woodlands, was conceived by American designer Russel Wright as an ongoing work of art, with nature as the medium. It is included on the World Monuments Fund Watch List, and its 75-acre landscape clearly needs help. But it's not certain how much of Russel Wright's masterful design can be saved. The most pressing issue, says the historic site's landscape curator, Ruth Parnall, are the loss of thousands of eastern hemlocks to the woolly adelgid (a nonnative insect that feeds on hemlock sap) and rampant deer browse, which continues to threaten hemlock seedlings.

For more on Rusell Wright's Manitoga, read the full story here.

Many of the views and dramatic contrasts of light and shade Wright so carefully conceived throughout the property are nearly erased. An adelgid spray program has been in place since 2000, and Parnall and her team are experimenting with ways to protect the seedlings, as well as with alternatives to hemlock, such as white pine. But the canopy is much denser now than when Wright bough the denuded property, and the reduced light may be a big hurdle. "This is a 25- to 35-year project. We're really charting the course now," says Manitoga's executive director, Jean-Paul Maitinsky. Left: Wright built his home and the furniture inside it into the landscape rather than atop it.

The site received a grant this year to commission the second phase of the Manitoga Historic Landscape Report, which was written by landscape architect (and Wright's cousin) Carol Franklin in 1982. Franklin's report has functioned as a bible on Wrights woodland design, and Maitinsky is hopeful that the much-needed update will provide concrete guidance on its restoration.

An abundance of wood and stone, and floor-to-ceiling windows, helps blue the distinction between interior and exterior.

Dragon Rock's main entryway reveals the deep Japanese influence on Wright's aesthetic.

A bank of ferns hugs the quarry pond outside the house.

Wright built several fire pits outside the house.

Mountain laurel thrives along the woodland paths.

Wright's hugely successful mid-century line of American Modern dinnerware took inspiration from the colors and forms of nature.