Pioneer Information
After serving in World War II with the 1901st Aviation Engineers Battalion, Goetz returned to the University of Illinois, where he graduated in 1947 with a B.S in Landscape Architecture. He subsequently worked for his family’s nursery as a designer and contractor until forming his own firm with his wife and business partner, Pauline, in 1956. In the same year, he organized the first St. Louis Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects. Over his 40 year career, Goetz worked with a diverse range of public and private clients throughout the St. Louis area, including the Missouri School for the Blind, the St. Louis Zoo, and the Chesterfield Mall. He designed numerous public parks and playgrounds, including the 700-acre Moore Community Park in Alton, Illinois, as well as the grounds for several residences. An active environmentalist, Goetz co-founded in 1965 the Open Space Council of St. Louis, a citizen-led conservation group, to acquire and preserve and along the Meramec River corridor. Goetz became a Fellow of the American Society of Landscape Architects in 1992 and in 2005 the St. Louis chapter of ASLA created an award in his name. He passed away in St. Louis on April 1, 2020.
