A museum's decision to destroy a work of art
"Nationwide our modern built landscapes are in danger. The designs of Lawrence Halprin, a leader in landscape architecture for decades, are particularly vulnerable at this time. Halprin recently received the National Endowment for the Arts gold medal from the President Bush. Despite this national recognition for design excellence, the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts included demolition of Halprin's sculpture garden in its $100-million building expansion plan designed by London-based architect Rick Mather."Via: The Recent Past Preservation Network
The semi-permanent and ever-changing nature of landscapes make them more vulnerable than buildings. Deferred maintenance and neglect can erase key components of a design. A considerable number of significant landscapes have been lost during this century to demotion or have been altered beyond recognition.
Laurence Halprin is perhaps best known for his master plan of The Sea Ranch community on the California coast in Sonoma county and more recently for The Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial in Washington D.C. Halprin apprenticed with Thomas Church, the leading pioneer of the contemporary California garden concept.
The fountain in its former glory, and more recently empty and neglected
See also: How Soon We Forget via The Cultural Landscape Foundation for more about endangered Halprin designs and other landscapes. Express your support.
halprin garden demolition
Denver's loss - Skyline Park
another demolition