|
Introductory Passage to VAASLA Membership:
The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts recently announced plans to expand and renovate their downtown Richmond campus to accommodate their growing exhibit, events, and parking needs.
Current master plan designs call for the demolition of an existing sculpture garden to accomplish the renovations.
The sculpture garden that the museum intends to demolish was designed by Lawrence Halprin, and is thought to be his only work of this kind in North America. Mr. Halprin, considered a master of our profession, was most recently recognized by President Bush as the recipient of a National Medal of the Arts in fall 2002.
Charles Birnbaum, FASLA, of the National Park Service, in his presentation to the membership during last fall's Centennial Lecture at the Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden in Richmond, warned that "modern" landscapes such as Mr. Halprin's sculpture garden are not yet been appreciated by the greater public, and many are currently at risk for demolition. Mr. Birnbaum urged our profession to begin to document, catalogue, and evaluate landscape architectural designs of the recent past, in order to place them within a broader historic context of design, and establish the proper tools for evaluating their contribution to the built environment.
The Virginia Chapter, ASLA, sent the letter provided below to the museum recommending their careful evaluation of demolition and other options prior to the loss of this work of a master of our profession.
The Chapter has since learned that the Virginia Department of Historic Resources has also recommended to the museum that the garden may be the significant work of a master, and as such, should be treated carefully.
For more information about the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, the Halprin sculpture garden, and other Halprin designs that are currently under pressure, see the following web sites:
www.recentpast.org
www.vmfa.state.va.us/expansion.html
www.styleweekly.com/back.asp
tclf.org/view_halprin.htm
www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/entertainment_columnists/article/0,1299,DRMN_84_1964993,00.html
www.oregonlive.com
May 12, 2003
Mrs. Jane Bassett Spilman Dr. Michael Brand
President, Board of Trustees Director
Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Virginia Museum of Fine Arts
2800 Grove Avenue 2800 Grove Avenue
Richmond, Virginia 23221 Richmond, Virginia 23221
Dear Mrs. Spilman, and Dr. Brand:
I am writing as the President of the Virginia Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects to voice the concerns of our membership over the current plans to expand the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. By expanding the museum as illustrated on your web site, it will be necessary to destroy the work of a nationally recognized Landscape Architect, Lawrence Halprin, FASLA. Although the garden may not fit the traditional definition of “historic,” we believe that the work of this master landscape architect may confer “exceptional” significance upon this modern work. Under the National Register of Historic Places, properties less than 50 years of age may be significant if they meet certain criteria. Based on Mr. Halprin's notable career and the national recognition he has received, we believe the sculpture garden may be eligible for the National Register and should be carefully evaluated.
Mr. Halprin is recognized as an innovative designer and leader, and has received numerous prestigious awards, most notably a 2002 National Medal of Arts, bestowed by President George W. Bush. Mr. Halprin is lauded and respected by landscape architects, architects, engineers, and planners throughout the nation, and is also recognized internationally for his cutting-edge design, environmental ethic, and approach to involving communities in the design process. The Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial in Washington, DC, Sea Ranch community, and various sculptures and fountains in Portland, Oregon have garnered far-reaching accolades. To our knowledge, the sculpture garden at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts is Mr. Halprin's only work of this kind in North America. Mr. Halprin incorporated his signature use of the sculptural fountain in the design of the courtyard, and crafted the design to accommodate each individual piece in a site-specific manner. The modern design style reflected in this garden, while less than 50 years of age, is slowly being evaluated and recognized by art and architectural historians around the country. In the meantime, precious examples of the style are being destroyed around the country when owners and administrators of these landscapes are not aware of their value. The Virginia Chapter ASLA urges you to reconsider destroying this work before thoroughly considering its importance. There are entities, our organization included, that would be honored to assist in this effort.
If we and others are unsuccessful in prevailing upon you to reconsider the decision to remove the sculpture garden, there are other steps that we urge the Museum administration to carefully consider as a means for protecting the honor of this work of one of America's master designers.
At a minimum, we believe the garden deserves careful documentation prior to removal. Documentation should be consistent with the standards prepared for the Secretary of the Interior for the treatment of historic properties. The Virginia Department of Historic Resources in Richmond is well versed in the appropriate methods for documenting significant historic properties and is almost certainly available to discuss the means for this effort. Our organization would be pleased to assist with this effort.
Curating an exhibit of modern landscape architecture master works at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts would further the body of knowledge and appreciation of this style, place you at the forefront of an important issue, and support others as they struggle to evaluate landscapes such as the Museum's sculpture garden.
We would also suggest that you consider engaging Mr. Halprin in re-siting the garden's sculptural works in a new location.
In the future, sites of this kind would certainly benefit from enhanced maintenance practices, and careful consideration when incorporating new elements and features. The sculpture garden at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts has clearly suffered over the years, perhaps contributing to its marginalization.
The sculpture garden of Lawrence Halprin is as much a work of art as the paintings, sculpture, and other pieces in the collection of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, and should be attributed the respect due to such an effort. The Virginia Chapter, ASLA urges you to consider carefully a range of options regarding the future of the sculpture garden.
Please let me know if the membership of the Virginia Chapter ASLA can help in any way to resolve this issue.
Sincerely yours,
Liz Sargent, ASLA
President, Virginia Chapter
cc: Dick Ford, Art and Architecture Review Board
Kathleen Kilpatrick, Virginia Department of Historic Resources
Dwight Picathley, National Park Service
Charles Birnbaum, National Park Service
Richard Moe, National Trust for Historic Preservation
Bill Thompson, Landscape Architecture Magazine
Hugh and Mary Palmer Dargan, Historic Preservation Committee, American Society of Landscape Architects
Robert A. Magoon, Jr., Virginia Society, AIA
Laurie Olin, Olin Partnership
Governor Mark Warner
Mark Burrell
|
