Richard C. Bell, FASLA, FAAR

Richard Bell, a Fellow of both the American Society of Landscape Architects and the American Academy in Rome, was the youngest person ever to receive the Prix de Rome at 21. Driven by a single, professional mission "to leave a little beauty behind wherever I go," he earned a national reputation and multiple awards for excellence in landscape architecture, and provided Raleigh, NC, with some of its most beloved landmarks, including the N.C. State University "Brickyard," the serpentine wall at St. Mary's School, Pullen Park, and the Meredith College lake and amphitheater. He also designed his own 11-acre Water Garden complex, one of Raleigh's first mixed-use developments and an early example of buildings coexisting in harmony with natural resources.

Born and raised in Manteo, NC, Bell attended NCSU, where he studied landscape architecture and assisted with the master plan for the university. He apprenticed under John Simonds in Pittsburgh and Fred Stressau in Florida before opening his own firm in Raleigh. He and his wife, Mary Jo, lived and worked in Raleigh for 50 years before moving to Atlantic Beach, NC, where he continues his practice. He was inducted into the Raleigh Hall of Fame in 2008.