For Immediate Release
May 7, 2007
Contact:
Corey Cronin 781/259-3628, ccronin@decordova.org
DeCordova Wins Landscape
Architecture Award
LINCOLN, MA—The Boston Society of Landscape Architects (BLSA) awarded the DeCordova Museum and Sculpture Park and Halverson Design Partnership a Merit Award for the Museum’s Sculpture Park. The award was given at a ceremony on May 3 at the BLSA’s Gala and Awards celebration. The Boston Society of Landscape Architects is a chapter of the national organization of the American Society of Landscape Architects.
The award was given for the Museum’s Landscape Master Plan including the recently completed reorganization of the Park’s circulation, which improved the pedestrian entry points to the Park, including an entrance plaza, and the beautiful detailing and craftsmanship throughout the project. DeCordova’s Master Plan was completed in 2006.
The Landscape Master Planning carried out under this project, together with its realization through two phases of exemplary design and construction, has solidified DeCordova’s position as the leading arts institution committed to New England’s contemporary artists and as the region’s foremost presenter of modern and contemporary American sculpture.
The Museum’s ambition to solve a series of challenging problems has been achieved with designs that look contemporary and at the same time feel like they’ve always been there. The Visitor Welcome Station–a sculptural work in its own right–is smoothly integrated into the gentle curves of the new entry road. The elements of the entrance plaza utilize clean forms and crisp geometric lines fashioned from traditional materials with exquisite workmanship, achieving a seamless integration of building and site. A wetland area that needed to be replicated due to this work was carefully recreated with a detailed planting plan, and blends in seamlessly with its natural woodland border.
Other goals of the project were to: overall enhance the Museum’s Sculpture Park, which is located on the grounds of the former Julian de Cordova estate; address pedestrian-vehicle conflicts and clarify vehicular access and arrival sequence; re-imagine the connection between the parking lot and the Museum building; and to provide improved wayfinding that changed the car-oriented focus to a more pedestrian-oriented plan
The Master Plan also brought disparate functions into a pedestrian “village” setting bounded by the Museum entrance, the edge of the existing parking lot, and the cluster of The Store @ DeCordova and Museum School buildings.
The project also allowed DeCordova to create an Entrance Plaza which provided a new starting point for touring the Sculpture Park on foot while creating an outdoor gathering/sitting area for visitors in that same space.
Overall, DeCordova’s Master Plan helped make the landscape more legible, so that visitors can explore the Park on their own without losing orientation to their starting point. It also enhanced the experience of the grounds as a series of larger and smaller outdoor rooms, and greatly improved the display of sculpture. The project realigned the access road so that visitors can see the Museum as they drive up to the parking area.
Halverson Design Partnership, the landscape architect on the project, was responsible for all phases of this work from the master planning through construction. At each step of the process, a committee of Museum administrators, curators and trustees provided advice and review of the work. Halvorson Design was founded in 1980 with a commitment to creating exemplary landscapes that would stand the test of time. The Boston-based firm has completed numerous projects for institutions such as Bates College, Williams College, Mount Auburn Cemetery, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Massachusetts General Hospital, among other commercial, residential, and park projects, like the South Boston Maritime Park and the Post Office Square Park.
General Information: DeCordova is open Tuesday through Sunday, 10 am to 5 pm and on selected Monday holidays. General admission during Museum hours is $9 for adults, $6 for senior citizens, students, and youth ages 6–12. Children age 5 and under, Lincoln residents, and Active Duty Military Personnel and their dependents are admitted free. The Sculpture Park is open year round during daylight hours. The Store @ DeCordova and the School Gallery are open Monday through Thursday, 9:30 am to 7:30 pm, Friday through Saturday, 9:30 am to 5:30 pm, and Sunday 10:30 am to 5:30 pm. The Café @ DeCordova is open Tuesday from noon to 3 pm, and Wednesday through Sunday from 11 am to 4 pm. Free guided public tours of the Museum’s main galleries take place every Thursday at 1 and Sunday at 2 pm. Free tours of the Sculpture Park are given on Saturday and Sunday at 1 pm from May to October. Visit www.decordova.org or call 781/259-8355 for further information.
