Collection Guide
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Inventory of the Robert Tetlow Collection, 1949-1987 (bulk 1953-1985)
2003-5
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Table of contents
Title: Robert Tetlow collection
Dates: 1949-1987
Dates: 1953-1985
Collection number: 2003-5
Creator:
Tetlow, Robert, 1922-1988
Collector:
Environmental Design Archives
Collection Size:
34 oversize folders, 15 manuscript boxes, 1 roll
Repository:
Environmental Design Archives
College of Environmental Design
College of Environmental Design
University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, California
Physical location: Environmental Design Archives
University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, California 94720-1820
University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, California 94720-1820
Languages:
Languages represented in the collection:
English
Collection is open for research.
All requests for permission to publish, reproduce, or quote from materials in the collection should be discussed with the
Curator.
[Identification of Item], Robert Tetlow Collection, 2003-5, Environmental Design Archives. College of
Environmental Design. University of California, Berkeley.
Robert Tetlow (1922-1988)
Robert Tetlow was an accomplished landscape architect and a dedicated professor, known for his love of art, music, and literature.
He particularly loved to paint and sometimes exhibited his landscape watercolors around the Bay Area. In addition to exhibiting
his own work, he co-curated a photographic exhibit in 1956 called "Man's Impact on the Bay Area Landscape" with landscape
architect David Abergast. He also authored several books, articles, and research studies focused on landscape design and its
relationship to the natural environment.
Born in Astoria, Oregon, Tetlow briefly attended Oregon State University before joining the United States Navy in 1941 and
serving in the Pacific. After leaving the military, he attended the University of Oregon graduating in 1949 with a degree
in landscape architecture. To further his education, he moved to the Bay Area to study at the University of California, Berkeley,
receiving a master's degree in landscape architecture in 1951.
His professional career began with the city of San Jose, but he soon switched to teaching when he joined the faculty at UC
Davis in 1952. In 1954 he once again returned to UC Berkeley, this time as a professor. He was a professor of landscape architecture
for 34 years, including a stint as chair of the Department of Landscape Architecture from 1977 to 1981.
As a practicing landscape architect, Tetlow designed the gardens for several private residences. He also designed the remodel
of his own home and did most of the carpentry himself. His most noted work was for the Strybing Arboretum and Botanical Gardens
in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco. In 1959, he wrote the master plan for the gardens in which he stated that the major considerations
for the development of the land should relate to "the fundamental nature of the terrain that the design will appear to have
been dictated by the ground form rather than the reverse." This philosophy of minimizing human impact on nature ran throughout
his work. He also felt it important to integrate the mature garden with new developments and to maintain a balance between
open space and densely planted areas. He supervised the implementation of his plan and served on the Strybing Board of Trustees
between 1967 and 1981.
Tetlow authored and co-authored many works, including the "Sunset Patio Book" (1952); a National Water Commission study, entitled
"The Role of Water in the Landscape: A Design Overview"(1971); and a report for British Columbia's Ministry of the Environment,
entitled "Visual Resources of the Northeast Coal Study Area, 1976-1977." He worked on two important exhibitions in 1956: a
nationwide traveling exhibit, entitled, "Landscape Architecture Today: An Introduction" and the photographic exhibit entitled,
"Man's Impact on the Bay Area Landscape." This exhibit was said to draw "attention to environmental problems and helped prepare
the way for environmental activism in the Bay Area in the 1960s."
Scope and Content of Collection
The Robert Tetlow Collection spans the years 1928-1987 (bulk 1953-1985) and concentrates mainly on Tetlow's work as a landscape
architect, an author, and professor. The collection includes textural documentation, photographs, and drawings that have been
organized into four series: Personal Papers, Professional Papers, Faculty Papers, and Project Records.
The vast majority of his Personal Papers consists of slides of his various travels. Some slides appear to be vacation images,
but others could be landscape scenes meant for professional research or reference. Of note in this series are two photographs
of Robert Tetlow and a few of his student drawings.
Tetlow's literary contributions and studies on ecology and design are included in the Professional Papers. There are two folders
that contain the work of other landscape architects and architects including Thomas Church; Louis Barragan; the firm of Eckbo,
Dean, Austin, & Williams; the firm of Sasaki, Dawson, Delay & Associates; Eckbo & Royston; Lawrence Halprin; and many others.
Included are two folders of various types of plants in their natural environment. Tetlow's writings included in the collection
are "Garden Ideas from California, Report of the Master Plan Committee of the City of Davis", "The Role of Water in the Landscape,"
"Subject Classification Model," "Sunset Patio Book," and "Visual Unit Concept." The exhibit he co-curated, entitled "Man's
Impact on the Bay Area Landscape," is found in this series and includes the original photographs from the exhibit.
The Faculty Papers Series provides a great starting point for any researcher interested in Robert Tetlow as it contains his
tenure portfolio, featuring many of his personal and professional interests and accomplishments. This series also contains
slide images for the classes he taught, including from LA 102 (Spring 1985) and LA 134. Also included are student work from
his landscape architecture students in LA 203 and LA 134. Some of the slides exemplify his philosophy on design and composition
in landscapes with views from Charleston, West Virginia; Atlanta, Georgia; and Savannah, Georgia. Other slides were used for
teaching color and drawing techniques in different mediums.
The majority of Tetlow's projects, as found in the Project Records, are residential. Of notable interest is his work on the
Strybing Arboretum for the City of San Francisco.
Sources: Laurie, M. (1992). "75 years of landscape architecture at Berkeley." Department of Landscape Architecture: Berkeley.
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.
Strybing Arboretum and Botanical Gardens.
Landscape architects--California.
Landscape architecture--California.
Landscape architecture records.
Landscape architecture drawings.
Landscape architecture photographs.
The following is a list of architectural projects from the Robert Tetlow collection. For instructions on interpreting the
Project Index, see
The Guide to the Project Index at
http://www.ced.berkeley.edu/cedarchives/pindex/guide.htm .
The Project Index list is arranged alphabetically by Project/Client Name and contains information, where available, about
the location, date, project type, architect, collaborators, photographers, and formats for each project in the collection.
Project/Client Name (location, date, project type, architect) Collaborator (role), Photographer [Format - Ms=Manuscripts, Dr=Drawings, Ph=Photographs]
- Allard ( Davis , CA ; 1953 ; residential ) [ Dr ]
- Barovetto ( Davis , CA ; 1953 ; residential ) [ Dr ]
- Brooks, Reid ( Davis , CA ; 1954 ; residential ) [ Dr ]
- Brown ( Berkeley , CA ; 1950 ; residential ) [ Dr ]
- Bureau of Parks and Recreation: Irrigation Plans for Municipal Pool and Washington Park ( Eugene , OR ; 1949 ; governmental ) [ Dr ]
- C.A.L.A. Exhibit (1955 ; cultural ) [ Dr ]
- Carter, Harold ( Berkeley , CA ; 1955 ; residential ) [ Dr ]
- Clement, L.J. ( Davis , CA ; 1954 ; residential ) [ Dr ]
- Damanske, A.B. ( Davis , CA ; 1952 ; residential ) [ Dr ]
- Emory, C.A. ( Berkeley , CA ; n.d. ; residential ) [ Dr ]
- Gerbode, Gertrude ( Piedmont , CA ; 1955 ; residential ) [ Dr ]
- George, Alex ( Davis , CA ; 1952-1954 ; residential ) [ Dr ]
- Gibson, D.A. ( [Davis] , CA ; 1953 ; residential ) [ Dr ]
- Goelzer ( El Cerrito , CA ; 1955 ; residential ) [ Dr ]
- Lowe, H.E. ( [Berkeley] , CA ; 1956 ; residential ) [ Dr ]
- McLucas, J.D. ( Hood River , OR ; n.d. ; residential ) [ Dr ]
- Nestor, B.L. ( Berkeley , CA ; 1957 ; residential ) [ Dr ]
- Raski, Dewey ( Davis , CA ; 1954 ; residential ) [ Dr ]
- Ramsey, Warren ( Berkeley , CA ; 1958 ; residential ) [ Dr ]
- San Francisco, City and County of, Department of Public Works: Strybing Arboretum ( San Francisco , CA ; 1949-1965 ; recreational ) [ Ms, Dr ]
- Stoddard, K.B. ( Berkeley , CA ; [1954] ; residential ) [ Dr ]
- Struck, James ( Parkdale , OR ; 1956 ; residential ) [ Dr ]
- Tetlow, Robert ( Berkeley , CA ; n.d. ; residential ) [ Dr, Ph ]
- Thode, E.N. ( [Berkeley] , CA ; 1958 ; residential ) [ Dr ]
- Thomas, W.R. ( El Cerrito , CA ; 1958 ; residential ) [ Dr ]
- University of California (UC): Blake Gardens ( Kensington , CA ; n.d. ; educational ) [ Dr ]
- University of California (UC): A Subdivision ( Berkeley , CA ; 1958 ; educational ) [ Dr ]
- University of Oregon ( Eugene , OR ; 1949 ; educational ) [ Dr ]
- U.S. Corps of Engineers, San Francisco: Shelters for Tilden Park ( Berkeley , CA ; 1964 ; recreational ) [ Dr, Ph ]
- Watson, David F. ( Piedmont , CA ; 1958 ; residential ) [ Dr ]
- Warne, Herbert ( Davis , CA ; 1954 ; residential ) [ Dr ]
- Wells, Rutherford ( Winters , CA ; 1956 ; residential ) [ Dr ]
- Wilson, E.E. ( College Park , CA ; 1954 ; residential ) [ Dr ]