University Preservation: Berkeley

Since Berkeley received its charter in 1868, its development has been guided by established architects and landscape architects such as Émile Bénard, John Galen Howard, Bernard Maybeck, Julia Morgan, and Frederick Law Olmsted. In recent years, the university has worked to restore and preserve its historic buildings. The grant will support an historic landscape preservation plan component of a new campus master plan. In addition, it will allow Berkeley to undertake a cultural resource survey and conditions assessment of landscape features to create a management plan.

The Landscape Heritage Plan (LHP) embodies the University's effort to preserve the historic legacy of the UC Berkeley Classical Core. The Classical Core displays nearly a century and a half of architectural and landscape design styles that have developed through the history of the University. While the campus has made important steps in preserving the historic campus buildings, the campus landscape and its cultural importance also need to be addressed. The purpose of the Landscape Heritage Plan is to document and plan for the continued stewardship of these valued resources that represent our cultural landscape. UC Berkeley would like to acknowledge the Getty Grant Program for its generous support of this plan through a Campus Heritage Grant.

Background
The 1868 Organic Act of California, authored by John W. Dwinelle, established the first public University of California, the Berkeley campus. The Act included a program of manual labor in connection with the Agriculture College, "having for its objective practical education in agriculture and landscape gardening." The University of California Board of Regents was established in 1868 and Dr. Henry Durant became the University's first president. Prior to the merger, site planning and tree planting was well underway at the College of California campus.

In 1866, Frederick Law Olmsted was commissioned to generate a comprehensive study of the campus, which he entitled "Report Upon a Projected Improvement of the Estate of the College of California, at Berkeley, near Oakland". Considered a significant piece of the Olmsted legacy, the report provided basic concepts and a land ethic that would prevail throughout the early development of the campus. The Olmsted plan envisioned a picturesque park-like campus, stemming from Olmsted's belief that the natural order of landscapes serve a moral purpose in society and would be well-regarded by the Trustees. The plan included a major east-west axis aligned with the Golden Gate and campus grounds framed by the north and south forks of Strawberry Creek. Olmsted introduced adaptable tree species to 'forest' the open land. Incorporated as an essential component of the overall plan was the creation of an adjacent upscale neighborhood to support and uplift the institution of higher learning. Another integral design element was Piedmont Way, Olmsted's first landscaped boulevard that became a model for several of his residential projects around the country. The fledgling University languished in its first years and the Regents grew impatient. Hall, motivated by their concerns, assessed the needs of the campus with the help and mentoring of Olmsted.

In 1874, Hall's report to the Regents, entitled "Development of the Grounds at Berkeley", began a slow departure from the Olmsted plan. The Hall plan, a synthesis of Olmsted's early vision and Hall's own site knowledge, became the guiding document for campus planning through 1900. Following the Hall plan, construction of campus buildings began in earnest. Hall's plan incorporated North and South Halls, designed by architect David Farquharson and built in 1873 per the earlier Olmsted plan. The Second Empire victorian style architecture, a "romantic picturesque" style popular in England combined with the emerging picturesque landscape, struck a compatible tableau. Bacon Hall Art and Library Building was later constructed in 1881 in the victorian-gothic style and would remain in place throughout the entire beaux-arts neoclassical era until the 1960s.

In 1976, Richard Bender became Dean of the College of Environmental Design. He was the leader of a group preparing urban design studies and historic resource surveys, providing guidance on growth and preservation in a time when the University was without a LRDP. The Campus Historic Resources Survey, published in 1978, was compiled by Richard Bender, Jack Sidener, and Sally Woodbridge. These studies would in turn lead to a National Register of Historic Places nomination and subsequent listing of several beaux-arts neoclassical campus buildings. While concentrating on the campus architecture, the survey also provided a chronology of the evolution of the campus landscape as seen through various campus planning proposals. Current planning concerns, per the survey, were maximum use of existing space, energy conservation, historical continuity, ecology, accessibility, safety, and participatory decision-making. Historic preservation of the campus's Classical Core had renewed support.

The 2002 New Century Plan illustrative portrays the prominent existing open space elements such as the tree canopy layer along the forks of Strawberry Creek and the Central Glade axis. The darker colored buildings represent existing structures to remain, while the lighter buildings represent proposed building or replacement locations. The NCP also includes new landscape initiatives. In 2002, the Campus Planning Office developed the New Century Plan (NCP) in association with Sasaki Associates. It provides a comprehensive strategic plan for the University's capital investment program, setting policies for all future University development of campus buildings and landscape through the middle of the century. In addition, the NCP establishes stewardship goals for the campus, including upholding the campus's architectural legacy and identifying landscape preservation zones. In 2003, the Campus Planning Office developed the Landscape Master Plan (LMP) to specifically reference and tie into the overall strategies presented within the NCP, while advancing the role of the campus landscape. The LMP addresses the central campus and its direct context of the surrounding city blocks. The Plan presents a broad physical framework for the use and restoration of open space within the central campus.

Issue
Based on knowledge gained through the study, two implementation concepts were developed for selected areas in the Classical Core. These concepts demonstrate the process for landscape improvements and application of guidelines based on sensitivity to a site's historical context and landscape features. They provide examples for designers, the University community, and potential donors when developing enhancement concepts and designs for cultural landscapes. The two implementation concepts, Mining Circle/Oppenheimer Way and the Campanile Way/Sather Road intersection, were chosen based on their importance to the campus and their representative historic and landscape characteristics. Historic research and assessments were completed for each site, providing important base information to inform the future design. Each site was analyzed through design alternatives, and a preferred alternative was developed in further detail. An important aspect of the process was retaining the key defining features and historic character of these sites while addressing the future needs of a dense urban campus.

Methods


Cultural Landscape Assessment: The cultural landscape assessment analyzes and documents a variety of factors, including period of significance, overall landscape site integrity, incompatible features, and character defining features.

Site Landscape Assessment: The site landscape assessment analyzes and documents the extant physical site, including current and desired uses and patterns of activities.

Preliminary Strategies of Treatment: Based on the information gained in the cultural landscape and site landscape assessments, landscape treatment strategies define the design approach and long-term management of the cultural landscape. Standard treatments, as defined in the Secretary of Interior's Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties with Guidelines for the Treatment of Cultural Landscapes (1996), include reservation, rehabilitation, restoration, and reconstruction.

Implementation: Subsequent to the overall planning process, the development of implementation funding is an essential consideration for the University. As educational institutions continue to grow, the importance of planning and coordinated implementation cannot be underestimated. Two key aspects of the plan implementation are broad support and funding. Support and recognition of the plan within the campus and its related community are attained through the engagement of campus committees, departmental partnerships, and University constituencies. This associated web site is an important tool for reaching beyond the campus community and for sharing plan goals, implementation concepts, and guidelines. It's reach and content provide a model for other educational institutions in developing their own preservation plans. ref>http://www.cp.berkeley.edu/lhp/concepts/methodology.html