All Hallows Guild: History
Florence Brown Bratenahl, wife of the Dean of the Cathedral, formed All Hallows Guild in 1916 to provide for “the care and beautification of the cathedral close.” The name hallows the land on which the Cathedral was built, the life of Bishop Satterlee, and gifts in memory of loved ones. The first task was to raise money for plantings and to bring mature specimens of boxwood, yew, and holly to the Cathedral grounds. Mrs. Bratenahl served as the Cathedral’s landscape designer from 1928 to 1936. Her work includes the designs for the Norman Court entrance to the Bishop’s Lawn, the Pool of St. Catherine, and the Pilgrim Steps with adjacent plantings, as well as the landscaping of the College of Preachers and early planting plans for the Bishop’s Garden Hortulus and Upper Perennial Border.