Events + Stewardship Honors

Rome, Italy / June 2004

The TCLF board joined the Trustees of the American Academy in Rome for a tour of the Villa Aurelia and its gardens and grounds. Originally built around 1650 for Cardinal Girolamo Farnese atop the walls erected in 280 by the Roman emperor Aurelian, the villa and its surrounding gardens possess a rich history of ownership and associations. Today, the Villa Aureliais the setting for the intellectual and social activities at the American Academy in Rome. The joint trip was a success. In all, twenty-one TCLF board members and spouses were present for the Trustees event in Rome. A Stewardship Excellence Award presented to Adele Chatfield-Taylor & The American Academy in Rome for their exceptional landscape stewardship. The Academy has insured that landscape architecture will forever be present in the Academy community by fully endowing two fellowships in landscape architecture. As a result of a campaign begun in 1986, the Academy has fully restored and rehabilitated the Academy's two main gardens, which include the grounds of Villa Aurelia and the Mercedes and Sid R. Bass Garden behind the McKim, Mead & White building.

 

New York, New York / October 2004

On October 20, Betsy Barlow Rogers, TCLF board member and the founder of the Central Park Conservancy, and her husband, Ted Rogers, hosted a cocktail party to celebrate the publication of Preserving Modern Landscape Architecture II: Making Postwar Landscapes Visible. Landscape history seemed to unroll that evening: TCLF granted two Awards in Stewardship Excellence saluting the creation and care of two masterworks of urban landscape architecture, Paley Park and Greenacre Park, while we looked out over that seminal urban landscape masterwork, Central Park.  Gail Caulkins received the award for the Greenacre Foundation, and Amanda Burden that for the Green Park Foundation. Adrian Benepe, Commissioner of the New York Parks and Recreation Department, read a salute to the TCLF from Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and Roger Kennedy, former Secretary of the Interior to President Clinton, delivered a short address.  The city's housing commissioner, Shaun Donovan, was also present at the event.  We also looked to the future: TCLF announced their first major gift, a challenge grant of $100,000.00.

Seattle, Washington / November 2004

TCLF board member, Grant Jones, and his partner, Ilze Jones, hosted the TCLF over several days in November. The program included a symposium at the University of Washington (outlined in section 6), and a series of workshops and tours including Jones & Jones projects in the region, the landscapes of Richard Haag, the National Park Service reserve at Ebey's Landing, and the properties of the Seattle Parks Department.

Gas Works Park   Richard Haag led a tour of his pioneering landscape, Gas Works Park. Gas Works Park is the result of Rich Haag's revolutionary transformation of the land. From the contaminated site of a redundant industrial gas plant which powered most of Seattle from 1908 to 1950, Haag produced a public green space that miraculously and harmoniously marries the old machinery with modern landscape design. This innovative design was the first of its kind. Though recent development has threatened the site, the hard work of concerned citizens has saved the park as it is-an irreplaceable resource for the public and a unique part of our cultural history. The TCLF awarded Richard Haag, Cheryl Trivison & the Friends of Gas Works Park a Stewardship Excellence Award for their efforts to protect and preserve Gas Works Park .

Bloedel Reserve   Nine miles Northwest of Seattle, on Bainbridge Island, Bloedel Reserve is a 150 acre property, formerly the residence of the Bloedel family. Now open to the public by reservation, the grounds include eighty-four acres of second-growth forest, and 66 acres comprised of various gardens, meadows, and ponds. The experience at Bloedel Reserve is a balance of nature and design. In addition to forest, the formal Japanese Garden, and the The Reflection Garden at the Reserve, designed by Richard Haag, is a major work of modern landscape architecture. Its clean, quiet geometry is striking in contrast to the dense forest that surrounds it. Richard Haag took a group to tour the tranquil gardens of Bloedel Reserve.

Ebey's Landing, National Historical Reserve, Central Whidbey Island   Ebey's Landing is a rare and amazing example of a richly layered historic landscape. Much of the land is still privately owned and used as it has been since first settled. The region is managed by the National Park Service to protect its historical essence and integrity. With nature and culture, forest and fields, coastline and cove, farm and village, Ebey's Landing reveals the story of over 100 years of Pacific Northwest history and settlement in the Puget Sound area. TCLF took a day trip to Ebey's Landing National Historical Reserve in the fall of 2004.

Seattle's Olmsted Parks   Several of the TCLF Board members opted for a tour of the notable Seattle parks and parkways system. Designed by John Charles Olmsted, beginning in 1903, this system was planned to incorporate spaces large and small, to connect them by tree-lined parkways, all with an eye to highlighting the splendid scenery of mountain and water which characterizes Seattle. Donald Harris, Property and Acquisition Services Manager for the Seattle Parks and Recreation Department arranged transportation and gave us an up-to-date understanding of the city's park issues.

Maintenance problems in parks with such steep and irregular topography are often challenging, as is the issue of preventing abutting property owners from cutting public trees to secure their private viewshed. Mr. Harris discussed the Park Department's process for rehabilitation/restoration/preservation of these historic spaces, particularly the parkways, and the methods of meeting a range of needs for an active and athletic community. He also noted Seattle 's program of land acquisition in order to keep steep hillsides in critical areas green and undeveloped. It was a full and interesting tour, providing TCLF with a comprehensive overview of a legacy park system.

Learn more about our Stewardship Award recipients -->