Bill Johnson at the University of Michigan

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William "Bill" Johnson Oral History

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The life, career, and design philosophy of Michigan-based landscape architect William "Bill" Johnson are the subject of the fourteenth oral history in the award-winning Pioneers of American Landscape Design® Oral History Project series.

The Lansing, Michigan-born Johnson studied landscape architecture at Michigan State University and graduated in 1953. Following his military service, he completed an M.L.A. at Harvard’s Graduate School of Design (GSD). While in Cambridge, he worked for Hideo Sasaki and was an instructor at the GSD. Returning to the Midwest to practice, Johnson formed Johnson, Johnson and Roy (JJR) in 1961, a partnership with his brother Carl and friend Clarence Roy. A master plan for the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor established the firm’s approach of integrated planning and analysis. The search for fitness, harmony, and community involvement became William Johnson’s core design philosophy and a trademark of JJR’s work.

Throughout his career, Johnson blended practice, at JJR (1961-1975) and as William J. Johnson Associates (1980-1992), with his commitment to education. A professor of landscape architecture beginning in 1958, he served as dean of the School of Natural Resources at the University of Michigan from 1975 to 1983, and became Professor Emeritus in 1988. Johnson’s practice focused on campus, resort, and community planning, as well as parks and recreation projects. He formed a partnership with Peter Walker in 1992, which led to many national and international commissions. Johnson was named a Fellow of the American Society of Landscape Architects in 1973 and awarded the ASLA Medal in 1986.

Oral History Framework

Video clips are divided into three categories: BIOGRAPHY, DESIGN, and PROJECTS.

Each clip is between one and six minutes long.

Interview: William "Bill" Johnson was interviewed by Charles A. Birnbaum at his home in Holland, MI in August 2015.

William "Bill" Johnson Oral History Transcript

Reflections: The Cultural Landscape Foundation contacted Johnson's colleagues and professional associates to share their stories and memories.

William "Bill" Johnson Reflections

YouTube Clip Listing by Category


BIOGRAPHY 1. Formative years exploring Lansing, MI “Outdoor memories are very poignant,” says Johnson of his childhood. From the Grand River, the Oldsmobile plant and his hobby of collecting discarded matchbook covers, Johnson got to “know [Lansing] intimately by walking through it.” 2. The Power of Art While in the fifth grade, Johnson discovers the power of painting to impact his life and others’ after vandalizing a school desk. 3. Discovering Landscape Architecture A Quonset hut on the Michigan State University campus in Lansing housed the design program, where the 14/15-year-old Johnson saw “beautifully rendered sketches.” He discovered that designers used “art to … solve” problems. 4. Michigan State University Here Johnson develops a strong interest in an analytical approach to design that was informed by the site, rather than what he calls a “pre-determined solution.” 5. The Exchange Problem A multi-university design competition gains Johnson attention, awards and a fateful visit from landscape architect Hideo Sasaki, who ultimately convinces Johnson to attend graduate school at Harvard. 6. The Beauty of My Assignment Faced with being drafted to Korea, Johnson instead joins the ROTC and is stationed in Postwar Europe. Here he travels around in his red MGTF and sees how garden and park making was integral to Postwar reconstruction. After being drafted during the Korean War, Johnson joins ROTC and is stationed in Germany. 7. At Harvard’s Graduate School of Design Johnson studied under Hideo Sasaki, whose critiques were “quiet and devastating” – and ultimately very helpful. He also savors the collaborative approach that encouraged cross-disciplinary student groups. While at Harvard, Johnson meets Norman Newton, Walter Chambers, and Hideo Sasaki. 8. Kindred Spirits Peter Walker is the first student Johnson meets at Harvard; they become close and work on a thesis project together. Walker also gives Johnson a piece of advice that becomes integral to the latter’s professional activities. 9. Brothers Johnson and his older brother, Carl, go into business together. Though peers, the brothers were on occasion rivals, a situation mediated by business partner Clarence Roy. The firm they created was Johnson, Johnson, and Roy (JJR). 10. Planning the University of Michigan Campus Soon after arriving to teach at the University of Michigan, Johnson is approached by the administration to outline a vision for the future growth of the university. A subsequent five-minute sketch based on a year’s study affects the campus’ next twenty years. 11. The School of Natural Resources After some hesitation, Johnson agrees to become Dean. He finds that his core design principle, which sought to find common ground but celebrated differences, applied well in academia. 12. Partnership with Peter Walker and Beyond Following his time at JJR and in academia, 60-year old Johnson and former Harvard classmate Peter Walker launch a business partnership created to last five years.			DESIGN 1. Triumvirate of Forces Early in his JJR’s history, Bill Johnson determines that design is at the center of a tripartite system composed of natural sciences, the arts and social sciences (including architecture). 2. Early, Early, Early Johnson cites JJR’s strategic approach – get involved early enough in a project in order to have maximum leverage in making and managing core design decisions. 3. The Search Johnson cleverly and entertainingly illustrates the rigidity of the Michigan Department of Transportation’s public input process, and devises an approach that is both more efficient and can impact design decision-making. 4. The Bones Johnson says focusing on the fundamentals, which he calls “framework thinking,” is essential to a successful project. Otherwise, he warns, “You can make big mistakes.” 5. Why Draw? “Drawing is a language,” Johnson asserts, and it’s a “dialogue inducer.” Listening to a client and then sketching out their ideas is very powerful – the process “brings their ideas to the forefront before their very eyes.” 6. Landscape Architecture Isn’t Small Understanding the significance of natural systems – whether from a design standpoint or from a policy perspective – is essential to planning. Landscape architecture, Johnson says, “has a sense of the big picture.” 7. Campus Connectivity Campus design, like community planning, relies on carefully created connections. The “flow of people is essential,” Johnson observes, and it informs other core planning issues. 8. Listening is a Skill Johnson says, “Listening is an initiative, not a passive thing.” He adds, “The key is to decide to listen and know how to listen – that’s what brings creativity to the [design] process.” 9. Classic Form is Beautiful Johnson talks about the power of visual understanding and illustrates the point by discussing three, well-designed items. 10. Fun is not Incidental “Fun,” Johnson opines, is “cathartic,” it’s “medicine,” and it increases “motivation, joy and pleasure, and creativity.” He recalls the unusual results from a design exercise in which he has students create something from a pile of found objects. 11. Painting and Being Alive Painting, a personal love of Johnson’s, is the starting point for observations about landscape architecture, which he calls a “thinking field,” and the benefits of “wrinkling” one’s brain and “wondering about things.”		PROJECTS 1. University of Michigan – Ann Arbor, MI Johnson returns after 50 years to see how his 1963 central campus expansion plan holds up. 2. Community Rebirth Johnson facilitates the renaissance of a low-income neighborhood in Ann Arbor, Michigan slated for demolition to make way for a shopping center. 3. Sea Pines Resort Johnson discusses the origins and challenges of planning and designing an iconic and influential resort on Hilton Head in the low country of SC. 4. Chicago Lakefront JJR developed overarching design guidelines for 27 miles of Chicago’s Lakefront. Significantly, their work insured the lakefront itself would not be developed as anything but parkland. 5. Grand Valley State University – Allendale, MI For the creation of a new university campus, JJR and Johnson find inspiration in the ravines of the Grand River valley as their design centerpiece. 6. Sky Forest Plaza – Saitama-Ken, JP A design competition brings Johnson and Peter Walker to the Tokyo area where a famed local shrine becomes the inspiration for their winning design. 7. Harima Science Garden City - Hyogo-Ken, JP In the mountains of Japan, Johnson and Peter Walker use the roads as the connecting tissue for a new science community. 8. A New Front Porch – Everett, WA Johnson convinced municipal officials that the key to creating a city center was the removal of an above ground parking garage. The result, the Snohomish County Campus, is a new park over an underground garage, and a complex that visually unites the historic city hall and library. 9. Project Clarity – Holland, MI Looking to the future, Johnson shares the vision of his community where the new energy plant has become the impetus for a new park centered on the Macatawa River, and a broader mindset focused on green energy.

Production Credits and Acknowledgments

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER

Charles A. Birnbaum, FASLA, FAAR

INTERVIEWER

Charles A. Birnbaum, FASLA, FAAR

PROJECT MANAGER

Barrett Doherty, ASLA

CINEMATOGRAPHER

Barrett Doherty, ASLA

EDITOR/ANIMATION

Barrett Doherty, ASLA

COMPOSER

Brian Cho

TRANSCRIPT EDITOR

Bart Bickel

The Cultural Landscape Foundation would like to thank the many people who contributed to making the William “Bill” Johnson Oral History a reality.

A project such as this comes to life only through the tremendous efforts of many individuals and organizations. Thank you to Bill and Charlotte Johnson for making time in their schedules for the August 2015 interview and location shoots while showing us around the delightful city of Holland, MI. Dr. Jon Burley generously provided historic images of the Michigan State University landscape architecture program. Susan Walker and Tony Zralka, of the Hyde Park Herald, lovingly rebuilt a 1966 special feature from the newspaper. The University of Michigan allowed us to film on their beautiful campus. Martin Poirer shared his personal candid photos of Peter Walker and William Johnson together. SmithGroupJJR allowed us to use sketches and images of built projects. While NBBJ provided sketches of the Snohomish County Campus. Grand Valley State University allowed us to video on the campus. PWP shared images and sketches from both Japanese projects. Both the Historic American Buildings Survey/Historic American Engineering Record/Historic American Landscapes Survey and Wikimedia Commons proved invaluable in illustrating this oral history. We are especially grateful to the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), our Annual Sponsor for the entire oral history series.

There were many generous funders for this oral history starting with Bob Chipman, Charlotte Johnson, Sandy Fischer, Jim and Patti Richards, NBBJ, The Power Foundation, Charlie Wenzlau, Harley Ellis Devereaux, Spurlock Landscape Architects, Martin Poirier, Site Workshop, James R. Turner, Hagenbuch Weikal, William Rabben, Chris and Jim MacInnes, Dale Sass, Jane Sullivan, Frank Clements, Bob & Jane Holderman, Jane Sullivan, Inga Blackinton, Deb Guenther, Martin Regge, Elizabeth Jacks, Jack Goodnoe, Anna Toogood, Wendie McAllaster, and Curt Westergard.

Photographs, prints, and drawings reproduced courtesy of the following individuals and institutions:

Charles A. Birnbaum, courtesy of Dr. Jon Burley, Cdamgen, Paul Conklin, Lee Coursey, J. Crocker, courtesy of Stuart Dawson, Barrett Doherty, Fg2, courtesy of the Hyde Park Herald, Andrew Jameson, Jmho, courtesy of William “Bill” Johnson, William “Bill” Johnson, Kakidai, Max Leonard, Joe Mabel, courtesy NBBJ, Ocdp, courtesy of Martin Poirer, courtesy of PWP, courtesy of Sasaki Associates, Shinjiro, Courtesy of James van Sweden, courtesy of Peter Walker, and George White.

University and Museum Archives:

Walter P. Reuther Library, Archives of Labor and Urban Affairs, Wayne State University

Virtual Motor City Collection, 1860-1980

Bentley Historical Library, Image Bank, University of Michigan

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Walter P. Reuther Library, Archives of Labor and Urban Affairs, Wayne State University, Virtual Motor City Collection, 1860-1980

vmc9024_2 [Michigan State Capitol] Michigan; Cities; Lansing. State Capitol. exterior

vmc9015 [Aerial view of Lansing, MI] Michigan; Cities; Lansing. Showing Capital.

vmc43347_2 [Street Scene, Lansing, MI] Michigan; Cities; Lansing. Looking Toward Capitol On Michigan

vmc9022_2 [Interior View- State capitol Building, MI] Michigan; Cities; Lansing. State Capitol . Interior Views.

William "Bill" Johnson Oral History

The life, career, and design philosophy of Michigan-based landscape architect William "Bill" Johnson are the subject of the fourteenth oral history in the award-winning Pioneers of American Landscape Design® Oral History Project series.

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