 The exterior gardens were by Achille Duchêne and the interior design was crafted by Julian Abele, one of the first professionally trained African American architects in the United States.Parson and his wife, along with her mother and sister (who worked in the New York office of Woolworth), all lived at Shadow Lawn.In 1939, Parson, who was financially ruined by the Great Depression, lost Shadow Lawn to the town for nonpayment of $132,000 in taxes.