Carleton University Amphitheatre – History and Significance-draft... · The amphitheatre in...
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August 16, 2017 1 Carleton University Amphitheatre – History and Significance The purpose of this draft statement on the history and significance of Carleton University’s amphitheatre is to inform the current planning for a new Indigenous learning place in this space. The statement has been prepared by professor Susan Ross of the School of Indigenous and Canadian Studies, an architect specialized in heritage conservation. Although the history of Carleton University is well studied in many aspects, the campus and its buildings and landscape have not been officially evaluated for their heritage significance. This draft text is based on very preliminary research on the site, some available existing documentation, and limited research on the amphitheatre as a modern landscape typology. More detailed study and analysis would be recommended over the longer term. The potential heritage significance of the amphitheatre can be summarized in terms of campus history, landscape design and ecological features, that is: as increasingly rare evidence of the earliest campus planning ideals; a lasting but less known work by a prominent Canadian landscape architect; and a healthy arrangement of soft landscaping framing the Rideau River that provides important relief to the increasing density of the campus. The amphitheatre in summer and winter (Susan Ross, 2014/2017) – note two trees were removed. Description Carleton University’s amphitheatre is an outdoor green space with permanent stepped seating around a lawn covered stage area. It is situated between Patterson and Southam Halls in the core area of the campus located around the “Quad.” Its main access is from the North end, by a stairway from the pathway that runs along the south side of the Library towards the main Quad. The central axis of the stairs and benches that frame the stage on two opposite sides is shifted off the campus grid, appearing to guide the view from higher up down towards the central space and to the Rideau River beyond. The central stage space of the Amphitheatre starts out just above the lower level that wraps around the base of Patterson alongside the quad. The appearance of a depressed outdoor space was created by a grass-covered hill on the South side, towards the River, and a contrasting hard-edged cascade of planters on the North side. Mature evergreen trees and bushes frame this space. The seating consists of wood decking resting on continuous poured in place concrete walls that retain the soil. Concrete walls also form the containers for the sidewalls and planters that frame the access from the North via a stair that is broken by a wide landing.
Transcript of Carleton University Amphitheatre – History and Significance-draft... · The amphitheatre in...
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CarletonUniversityAmphitheatre–HistoryandSignificance
ThepurposeofthisdraftstatementonthehistoryandsignificanceofCarletonUniversity’samphitheatreistoinformthecurrentplanningforanewIndigenouslearningplaceinthisspace.ThestatementhasbeenpreparedbyprofessorSusanRossoftheSchoolofIndigenousandCanadianStudies,anarchitectspecializedinheritageconservation.AlthoughthehistoryofCarletonUniversityiswellstudiedinmanyaspects,thecampusanditsbuildingsandlandscapehavenotbeenofficiallyevaluatedfortheirheritagesignificance.Thisdrafttextisbasedonverypreliminaryresearchonthesite,someavailableexistingdocumentation,andlimitedresearchontheamphitheatreasamodernlandscapetypology.Moredetailedstudyandanalysiswouldberecommendedoverthelongerterm.Thepotentialheritagesignificanceoftheamphitheatrecanbesummarizedintermsofcampushistory,landscapedesignandecologicalfeatures,thatis:asincreasinglyrareevidenceoftheearliestcampusplanningideals;alastingbutlessknownworkbyaprominentCanadianlandscapearchitect;andahealthyarrangementofsoftlandscapingframingtheRideauRiverthatprovidesimportantrelieftotheincreasingdensityofthecampus.
Theamphitheatreinsummerandwinter(SusanRoss,2014/2017)–notetwotreeswereremoved.
DescriptionCarletonUniversity’samphitheatreisanoutdoorgreenspacewithpermanentsteppedseatingaroundalawncoveredstagearea.ItissituatedbetweenPattersonandSouthamHallsinthecoreareaofthecampuslocatedaroundthe“Quad.”ItsmainaccessisfromtheNorthend,byastairwayfromthepathwaythatrunsalongthesouthsideoftheLibrarytowardsthemainQuad.Thecentralaxisofthestairsandbenchesthatframethestageontwooppositesidesisshiftedoffthecampusgrid,appearingtoguidetheviewfromhigherupdowntowardsthecentralspaceandtotheRideauRiverbeyond.ThecentralstagespaceoftheAmphitheatrestartsoutjustabovethelowerlevelthatwrapsaroundthebaseofPattersonalongsidethequad.Theappearanceofadepressedoutdoorspacewascreatedbyagrass-coveredhillontheSouthside,towardstheRiver,andacontrastinghard-edgedcascadeofplantersontheNorthside.Matureevergreentreesandbushesframethisspace.Theseatingconsistsofwooddeckingrestingoncontinuouspouredinplaceconcretewallsthatretainthesoil.ConcretewallsalsoformthecontainersforthesidewallsandplantersthatframetheaccessfromtheNorthviaastairthatisbrokenbyawidelanding.
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ConstructionHistoryTheearliestcampusplans(1960),showedonlyafewbuildingsaroundacourtyardfacingtowardstheRideauCanal;therewerenospecificplansforthisareawhichwouldhavethenstillconnecteddirectlywiththeRideauRiver.Siteconditionsoftheearlycampuscanbeseeninanaerialphotographtakenin1961duringconstructionofSouthamHallandanadditiontoPatersonHall.Theamphitheatrefirstappearsona1968MurrayandMurrayplan.
Earlycampusplansandaerialphotography(CUArchives)
Theamphitheatrewasbuiltca.1968,accordingtoplansbyD.W.GrahamandAssociatesLtdLandscapeArchitects.Apreliminarycomparisonwiththesitetoday,suggestthattheseplansgenerallyreflectthecurrentconditions,althoughsomeoftheretainingwallstothewestofthestairhavebeenalteredandreplacedbyconcreteblocks.TheDWGplansindicatespecificspeciesoftrees(e.g.ScotchPine)andbushes(e.g.Juniper),whicharelargelyinplace,tobeverifiedbyanarborist.Twolargerdeciduoustreeswereremovedandreplacedsince2014.Builtintheinitialperiodofincreasedcampusdevelopment,theDWGplansfortheamphitheatrealsoshowproposedvegetationforthe“Quad.”Thequadisitselfisnolongerasintact,althoughsomeofitsmaturetreesmayrelatetothatperiodofplanting.Rectangularplanter/benchesalongthelibrarypatharealsolikelyfromthisearlierperiod.
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Theamphitheatrelandscapeisthusanoteworthyexampleoftheearlierapproachtothecampusdesignthathasbeenmuchalteredinotherpartsofthecampus(Bouse).
ImageusedtopromoteCarletonUniversitythatshowstheAmphitheatreinuse–withprominenttreenowgone(http://education.kilroy.net/media/60715/carleton-uni-students-amphitheater.jpg)DonW.Graham,LandscapeArchitectThedesigneroftheamphitheatre,DonW.Graham(1930-…),isconsidered“akeymemberofthepioneeringgenerationofCanadian-bornlandscapearchitectswhobroughtmoderndesigntoCanadainthepostwaryears”(Williams).AfterstudyingagricultureatMcGillUniversity,theMontrealborndesignerworkedfrom1953withtheFederalDistrictCommissionwithEdWood,anotherimportantpioneer,beforepursuinggraduatestudiesinlandscapearchitectureatHarvardUniversity,toreturnin1958totheFDC(laterNCC),andthenopeninghisownfirmin1964.WhilewiththeNCCGrahamdesignedtheprestigiousGardenoftheProvincesbuiltoppositetheNationalLibraryandArchivesonWellingtonStreet(Zvonar).AsanindependentdesignerhewasresponsibleforimportantcommissionslikethelandscapeofExpo67aswellasmorepopularlocalsitesliketheAndrewHaydonPark.TheExpo67workisconsideredadefiningperiodofdevelopmentinCanadianlandscapehistoryandGraham’sworkwasnotedforhisemphasisonnaturalelementsandsocialexchange(Valois).
SunRiseAmphitheater,CO(1934)ScottAmphitheatre,SwarthmoreCollege,PA(1942)ModernamphitheatresOutdooramphitheatreshavealonghistoryinarchitecture,buttheirmorerecentuseinpublicparksandspacesinNorthAmericahasbeenconnectedwithareactionagainstthecommercialindoor“atmospherictheatres”popularinearly20thcenturycities.Assuch,theywereusuallydesignedwithsimpleorganicmaterialsthatmaximizedtherelationshiptonaturalfeatures,oftenusingadramaticlandscapeasabackdrop.Oftenlocatedinparksorassociatedwithotherculturalfunctionssuchastheatresandlibraries,inthecontextofacampusdesign,theywereusuallyintendedtofacilitateoutdoorlearning.TheoneatCarleton
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waslocateddirectlyadjacenttotheSouthamHalltheatre.TheapproachtodesignatCarletoninthe1960sputemphasisoncollaboration,whichmaybethereasonthisworkwasnotlistedinasummaryofGraham’sprojectscreatedaspartofanationalstudyoflandscapearchitects.Howevermodernlandscapearchitectureisalsolesswellunderstoodingeneral,withprojectssuchasthisonethatbridgesmodernmaterialswithmoretraditionalformsonlybeginningtobestudiedandappreciated.ThefollowingphotosweretakenbySusanRossinFebruary2017:
Viewfromthe8thfloorofLoebBuildingTowerCtowardsPattersonHall
ViewstowardstheNorthsidefromthepathwayandthebaseofPattersonHall
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ThehillsidebehindtheSouthsideanddetailofcurvedwoodandconcretebenches
Viewfromthe5thfloorofMacOdrumLibrary–lookingtowardstheSouthandtheRiver
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GradingandplantingsiteplansbyD.W.GrahamLandscapearchitectLtd,Ottawa,1968:
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References“Whydidtheybuildthatamphitheatre.”TheCharlatan,Sept.27,1968.“Amphitheatre.”TheCulturalLandscapeFoundation.Web.http://tclf.org/category/designed-landscape-types/amphitheaterBouse,David.ElectronicAtlasofaCulturalLandscape:CarletonUniversityandEnvirons.Web.http://epe.lac-bac.gc.ca/100/205/301/ic/cdc/e-atlas/home.htmlBrookMcIlroy.CarletonUniversity2016CampusMasterPlanUpdate.https://carleton.ca/fmp/campus-master-plan/2016-master-plan/“ConstructionU.”CarletonUniversityArchives.Web.https://arc.library.carleton.ca/exhibits/construction-uD.W.GrahamandAssociatesLtd,LandscapeArchitects.“CarletonUniversityAmphitheatre.”Sheets1-8,1968(copiesofsheets1-6,8obtainedthroughCarletonUniversityFacilitiesmanagement)LeGeyt,Linda.“DonaldWalterGraham,”inChangingtheFaceofCanada:ProfilesofLandscapeArchitects.VolumeTwo.CSLA,1998.Urbsite.“LastStandforCarleton’sEarlyModerns,”2010.Web.http://urbsite.blogspot.ca/2010/02/last-stand-for-carletons-early-moderns.htmlValois,NicoleetJonathanCha.“L’architecturedepaysagedel’Expo67,JSSA38.2(2013):55-70.Valois,Nicole.“HeritageValuesasSeenbythePublic:GardenoftheProvincesandTerritories,”http://www.patrimoinebati.umontreal.ca/documents/EN_JARDIN_DES_PROVINCES_ET_DES_TERRITOIRES_BD.pdfWilliams,Ron.LandscapeArchitectureinCanada,McGill-QueensU.Press,2014.
Zvonar,JohnE.“GardenoftheProvinces...Finallytakingcentrestage!”InSusanAlgieandJamesAshby,editors.ConservingtheModerninCanada:Buildings,EnsemblesandSites,1945-2005,TrentUniversity,Peterborough,May6-8.2005,151-159.http://www.winnipegarchitecture.ca/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/CMC-Proceedings_Eng_a.pdfContactProf.SusanRoss,[email protected]
