Preserving Berkeley’s historic landscapes

19 September 2002 | The historic landscapes familiar to all who visit or work at Berkeley have suffered greatly over time, for reasons ranging from intense foot and vehicular traffic to deferred maintenance and budgetary shortfalls. Some historic landscape areas and features are in serious need of renovation and repair; others require extensive planning and upgrading before they can realized their full potential.

Recently, Capital Projects received a $250,000 grant from the Getty Grant Program, which has been funding various historic-preservation projects nationwide. The money will enable planners to develop a strategy for preserving and enhancing the cultural landscape of the Berkeley campus. In performing the work, they will survey and assess the current condition of the campus’s historic landscapes — many of them in the classical core, around the buildings designed by John Galen Howard almost a century ago — and develop work plans for future renovations and enhancements.

Not only sweeping vistas and grand plazas will receive attention from campus planners and consultants; the smaller details that contribute to a satisfying visual and functional experience will be carefully considered too. “From lamps, bridges, and specimen trees to flagstones, bricks, and decorative urns,” says Campus Landscape Architect Jim Horner, “the character and quality of our historic resources adds depth and dimension to the Berkeley landscape experience.”