Pioneers Oral Histories

Shlomo Aronson Oral History

Oral History on YouTube: Ideal for mobile devices

On lands with thousands of years of history, landscape architect Shlomo Aronson has spent more than forty years helping to shape the modern nation of Israel.

His body of work demonstrates an undeniable design brilliance that balances nature and culture and a great reverence for the concept of change and continuity.

Oral History Framework

Video Clips are divided into three categories: BIOGRAPHY, DESIGN, and PROJECTS
Each clip is between 30 seconds and 5 minutes long.

Interview: Shlomo Aronson was interviewed on December 5-12, 2011 by Charles A. Birnbaum at his home and office in Ein Gedi (outside Jerusalem), and on site at projects in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, and selected project sites across Israel. Also interviewed were Aronson principals Ittai Aronson and Barbara Aronson who reflect on Aronson’s design legacy and discuss the direction of landscape architecture today.

Reflections: The work of the Aronson has shaped the landscape of Israel for more than forty years. The Cultural Landscape Foundation contacted former associates, colleagues, family and friends to share their stories.

YouTube Clip Listing by Category


BIOGRAPHY 1. Prelude Aronson reflects on his career and family. 2. Remembering Family Life Learn how family and friends shaped his life. 3. Berkeley Changed My Life A lecture by Larry Halprin leads him to study landscape architecture. 4. I Won Sandra Meeting his wife at Berkeley makes for special memories. 5. Mentor - Geraldine Knight Scott Studies about plants and travel in California with Scott are enriching. 6. Working for Larry Halprin Aronson learns while working in “the best office in America”. 7. Everybody Wants to go to Harvard Fifty years later these lessons are still remembered. 8. The Legacy of Shlomo Aronson Barbara and Ittai Aronson reflect on the office and family.		DESIGN 1. An Unbroken Chain of Designers Hear about ideas written as a student in 1966 that are still valid today. 2. Stone as a Central Element From the Roman times to the present learn why this material is admired. 3. Jerusalem Transformed Learn why Jerusalem is a beautiful place. 4. Lessons Learned from Larry Halprin Hear how knowing Larry Halprin impacts Aronson's career. 5. The Role of a Landscape Architect Barbara and Ittai Aronson share their thoughts on Shlomo Aronson's legacy in Israel. 6. The Practice Then & Now Recollections of earlier projects are contrasted to today’s more regulated political environment.		PROJECTS 1. Beit Shalom Park Creating a new road near the entrance to the Zion Gate creates design opportunities. 2. Dung Gate Respect for the past embraces a continuum that dates back to the 16th Century. 3. Walter and Elise Haas Promenade Working with Larry Halprin on this project, overlooking the Old City in Jerusalem, results in a related commission. 4. The Gabriel Sherover Promenade Aronson explores his design philosophy which is exemplified in this project. 5. Trottner Promenade Park Learn the ideas behind this peaceful and intimate experience with this unique cultural landscape. 6. Suzanne Dellal Center Explore how the design of this Tel Aviv plaza reflects its past history. 7. Caesarea Archaeological Park Discover the missing link which informed the design decisions for this national park on the Israeli coastline. 8. Kreitman Plaza Hear how a desert wadi [valley] at the garden's core inspired this campus design. 9. Sha’ar Ha-gai Highway Interchange Located halfway between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, the design palette employs stone walls and agricultural plantings while protecting iconic viewsheds. 10. ‘Contour Line’ to the Dead Sea A unique interpretive design leading to the lowest point on Earth makes visible the dynamics of landscape. 11. Yad Vashem Learn how Aronson's landscape creates the connective tissue for Israel's official memorial to the Jewish victims of the Holocaust.

Production Credits and Acknowledgments

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
Charles A. Birnbaum, FASLA, FAAR

DIRECTOR/EDITOR
Gina M. Angelone
SA KWA Pictures

EDITING
Mural Productions

INTERVIEWER
Charles A. Birnbaum, FASLA, FAAR

PROJECT MANAGER
Nancy Slade, ASLA

PRODUCTION ASSISTANTS
Noam Yadgar
Afik Yarimi

MUSIC
Brian Cho

CAMERA
Omer Yadgar

The Cultural Landscape Foundation would like to thank the many people who contributed to making the Shlomo Aronson Oral History a reality.

Our thanks go first and foremost to Shlomo Aronson, whose persistence despite physical challenges set a determined tone and a strong dose of inspiration. It is because of Dr. Nurit Lissovsky at the Technion in Haifa that TCLF embarked on this oral history, and it is because of the unwavering and invaluable support of the Aronson family that we could bring it to a conclusion. Nurit and the Aronsons – his wife Sandra, his daughter-in-law Barbara and his son Ittai – provided exceptional access to Shlomo’s work throughout Israel along with key insights about Shlomo’s life and career and the practice of landscape architecture in Israel that helped shape the narrative of this project. We are grateful to Sandra and the Aronson office for hundreds of wonderful family and project images that they provided, making the project more robust. A special thank you goes to Nurit who also handled innumerable logistical details, and provided us with a rich understanding of Israel’s cultural complexity, rich history and landscape diversity. The Cultural Landscape Foundation is grateful for the financial support of the Technion Research Foundation, Michael and Judy Steinhardt, Shlomo Aronson Architects, Ltd. and Safdie Architects, Fleur Harlan, The Nathan and Fannye Shafran Foundation and Dr. Carl Steinitz.

Photographs, prints, and drawings reproduced courtesy of the following individuals and institutions:
Shlomo and Sandra Aronson; Shlomo Aronson Architects, Ltd.; Charles Birnbaum; The Cultural Landscape Foundation; Niel Folberg; Nord Wennerstrom; and Kathy Wise.

University and Museum Archives:
University Archives: Cornell University, Clarke and Rapuano Records, Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections; the University of Victoria Archives 2004-003 #8.1.10

Shlomo Aronson Oral History

Shlomo Aronson Oral History

On lands with thousands of years of history, landscape architect Shlomo Aronson has spent more than forty years helping to shape the modern nation of Israel.

Oral History Framework

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Shlomo Aronson Oral History

Shlomo Aronson Oral History

On lands with thousands of years of history, landscape architect Shlomo Aronson has spent more than forty years helping to shape the modern nation of Israel.

Oral History Framework

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