Richard Haag Oral History

feature

The life, career and design philosophy of acclaimed Seattle-based landscape architect Richard Haag is the subject of this new series of profusely illustrated interviews.

Haag is a two-time recipient of the American Society of Landscape Architect's President’s Award for Design Excellence for his work at Seattle’s Gas Works Park and Bloedel Reserve on Bainbridge Island, Washington. This is the eleventh oral history in the award-winning Pioneers of American Landscape Design® series of free, Web-based, in-depth, first-person interviews with leading landscape architects.

Oral History Framework

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

Each clip is between two and eight minutes long.

Interview: Richard Haag was interviewed at his home and at select projects in and around Seattle in November 2004 and in May 2013.

Richard Haag Oral History Transcript

Reflections: Richard Haag has been an educator and practitioner in Seattle for more than fifty years. ��ұ�� contacted his colleagues and professional associates to share their stories and memories.

Richard Haag Reflections

YouTube Clip Listing by Category


BIOGRAPHY 1. Learn how Haag’s southern heritage has influenced his life. 2. Hear how Annette Hoyt Flanders’s inspired him to attend the University of Illinois. 3. Haag recalls studio high jinks and travels with Stan White on a “grand tour” of New England. 4. Hear why Stan White and Hideo Sasaki made an indelible impression. 5. For Haag, Walter Chambers, Walter Gropius and Elbert Peets made Harvard hard, but necessary. 6. Haag recalls projects and personalities that he encountered at Dan Kiley’s studio. 7. Two extraordinary years of travel and study helped form his design philosophy. 8. Hear Haag’s insightful stories about people and projects from his work in the Office of Lawrence Halprin. 9. Learn how this was the perfect opportunity and why teaching and practice was what he wanted to do.			DESIGN 1. Haag offers stories about the books and teachers who guided his landscape education. 2. Hear how a lifelong interest in plants started at his father’s nursery. 3. Haag shares insights for developing a program and reveals what is a “good client”. 4. Haag discusses the components of good design. 5. Haag reflects on the dynamic nature of landscapes and how to safeguard your design’s integrity. 6. Discover what Haag means to “design with DNA”.		PROJECTS 1. What began as a commission to finish a Thomas Church design led to other projects at Bloedel. 2. Hear how Haag develops the Moss Garden, the Bird Sanctuary and the Garden of Planes. 3. Learn why Haag explains the four Bloedel gardens as a “couplet of experiences” 4. Hear Haag reflect in this 2004 interview about his design for this civic space. 5. Learn how this project revolutionized landscape architecture practice and design. 6. Hear why and how this belvedere is one of Seattle’s most popular parks. 7. Haag describes how this harmonious garden experience was developed. 8. A hinge point in this garden becomes a focal point for its design.

Production Credits and Acknowledgments

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER

Charles A. Birnbaum, FASLA, FAAR

DIRECTOR/PRODUCER

Gina M. Angelone

SA KWA Pictures

INTERVIEWER

Charles A. Birnbaum, FASLA, FAAR

Nancy Slade, ASLA

PROJECT MANAGER

Nancy Slade, ASLA

VIDEOGRAPHER

Tom Fox, Director of Media Services, SWA Group

EDITOR

Alejandro Treviño

COMPOSER

Brian Cho

��ұ�� would like to thank the many people who contributed to making the Richard Haag Oral History a reality.

A project such as this comes to life through the efforts of many individuals. Thank you to Richard Haag and Cheryl Trivison for their friendship, good humor and hospitality and for making time in their busy schedules for the November 2004 and May 2013 interviews. They provided us with tours of Rich’s public and private projects, shared their wonderful home and garden and fueled us with wonderful meals. They and the office staff were extremely helpful in providing hundreds of images. A special thanks goes to Tom Fox, Principal the SWA Group, who carved out time from his busy schedule to travel to Seattle and videotape both the 2004 and 2013 interviews. Bloedel Reserve, which partnered with ��ұ�� for a tour of their garden with Rich Haag in a 2013 Garden Dialogue, was also supportive. We are especially grateful to the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), our Educational Partner for the entire oral history series.

There were many generous funders for this oral history starting with a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts Art Works program, The Hubbard Educational Foundation, the Maria & Robert Kelly Stewardship; and the Pauline & Edgar Stern Foundation. The Washington ASLA Chapter was essential to the success of the Kickstarter Campaign, which attracted the support of more than sixty donors and completed the oral history’s funding. Thank you to our Supporting Sponsors: Jestena Boughton, Chris Carlson and Steve Durrant, Keith LeBlanc, Lisa Calibani Lowry, Mario Nievera, Suzanne L. Turner and the Washington ASLA Chapter. Additional thanks go to Gina Ford, Jocelyn Freilinger, Becca Hanson, and Brian Thomson for their generous contributions. Finally, Brice Maryman, Courtney Landoll and Duane Dietz from the WA ASLA Chapter were instrumental in spreading the word and making the campaign a success.

We would like to thank Josh Polansky, Director of the University of Washington, College of Built Environments, Visual Resources Collection who digitized and images from the Richard Haag Associates collection. Seattle photographer Mary Randlett kindly permitted us to use her beautiful images of Rich and his gardens; and Sandra Stern McIver, President of the Pauline & Edgar Stern Foundation an enthusiastic supporter of the project, provided images of her parents’ Haag-designed garden in the San Juan Islands and for the former-family residence, Longue Vue, now Longue Vue House & Gardens, in New Orleans. A special thank you also goes to Helen Hester, neighbor and high school classmate of Richard Haag and Myra Fugate from the Jefferson Kentucky School District for their significant efforts in securing images.

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

Witit Apornvirat; James Archambeault, Ohio River Bend photo; Charles Birnbaum; Sam Buck; Annie Chung; Stuart Dawson and Sasaki Associates; Friends of Gas Works Park; Richard Haag Associates; Grant Jones; the Daniel Urban Kiley family; Longue Vue House and Gardens; Sandra Stern McIver; Laurie Olin; Loraine Osmundson; Kevin Roche John Dinkeloo and Associates; River Fields; Aimee Rozier; Seattle Municipal Archives; Nancy Slade; Peter Steinbrueck; Tasha Stonorov; The Glass House ; Patrick Waddell; Nancy Unrath and the Satoru family; Paul Warchol; Ted Wathen; and E.B. White Literary LLC.

University and Museum Archives:

Architectural Archives of the University of Pennsylvania

Ian McHarg- University of Pennsylvania Image #109.V.A.2.a.4-A

Mill Creek Plan- Louis Kahn Collection, University of Pennsylvania Collection and the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission #030.I.A.375.17

Longue House and Garden

Pauline and Edgar Stern, Jr., Stern family and Longue Vue garden images.

Cornell University Library, Rare and Manuscript Collections

Kitimat image RMC 2010-095, Clarence Stein papers, #3600, Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections.

University of Illinois

Department of Landscape Architecture Archives, images Courtesy Gary Kessler.

University of Illinois Archives

University of Illinois Campus View of the Eastern Half of the Quad, ca. 1925-30, Photographic Subject File, RS 39/2/20".

0004682. jpg.The holder of copyright for this image is unknown.

Florence Bell Robinson, ca. 1933

Found in RS: 39/2/25, Box 3, 0002627.jpg. Copyright of this image is not owned by the University of Illinois.

University of Louisville Photographic Archives

Royal Photo Company Collection, ULPA R_00957, Caufield & Shook Collection, ULPA CS 062302

Sophia Smith Archives, Smith College

Portrait of Annette Flanders

Seattle P-I Collection, Museum of History & Industry

Demonstration against the Demolition of Pike Place Market, photographer Timothy Egan. Demonstration against the Demolition of Pike Place Market, Tom Brownell.

Benefit Rock Concert at Seward Park for Pike Place Market, photographer Tom Barlet.

University of Washington, College of Built Environments, Visual Resources Collection,

UW 13718, Aerial of campus 1959.