Robert Tetlow Collection 2003.-05

L. Kirwan
Arrangement and description of this collection was funded by the Department of Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning
University of California, Berkeley. College of Environmental Design. Environmental Design Archives
2005
230 Bauer Wurster Hall #1820
Berkeley, CA 94720-1820
designarchives@berkeley.edu


Contributing Institution: University of California, Berkeley. College of Environmental Design. Environmental Design Archives
Title: Robert Tetlow Collection
Creator: Tetlow, Robert, 1922-1988
Identifier/Call Number: 2003.-05
Physical Description: 30 Linear Feet: 34 oversize folders, 15 manuscript boxes, 1 roll
Date (inclusive): 1949-1987
Language of Material: English .

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research

Conditions Governing Use

All requests for permission to publish, reproduce, or quote from materials in the collection should be directed to the Curator

Preferred Citation

[Identification of Item], Robert Tetlow Collection [2003-05] Environmental Design Archives, University of California, Berkeley.

Biographical / Historical

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 Botanic 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 coauthored 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 1960's"

Scope and Contents

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 cocurated, 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

 

Personal Papers I. 1941-1985

 

Biographical Information A. 1941

Box 1, Folder 1

Personal Portraits

 

Travel and Research slides B. 1959-1985

Box 1, Folder 2-3

California Landscapes 1972-1985

Box 1, Folder 4-5

California / Wyoming scenes 1974-1985

Box 1, Folder 6

U.S. travel scenes and natural settings -- slide descriptions 1959-1974

Box 1, Folder 7-10

U.S. travel scenes and natural settings 1959-1974

 

Student Work 1947

flat-file-drawer W 4.19, Flat-File 1

Residential Landscape Watercolors

 

Professional Papers II. 1928-1985

 

Reference Files A. 1949-1985

Box 2, Folder 1

Bay Area Design and Landscapes: Colleges, Housing, Landscapes 1969-1975

Box 2, Folder 2

Bay Area Design: Gardens 1968-1984

Box 3, Folder 3-4

Designs by other Landscape Architects and Architects 1949-1978

Box 3, Folder 5-6

Plants and Planting 1976-1985

 

Writings B. 1953-1984

Box 3, Folder 7

Garden Ideas from California 1955

Box 3, Folder 8

Report of the Master Plan Committee of the City of Davis 1953

flat-file-drawer W 4.19, Flat-File 2

Man's Impact on Bay Area Landscape 1956

Box 3, Folder 9-10

The Role of Water in the Landscape 1971

Box 3, Folder 11

Subject Classification Model n.d.

Box 3, Folder 12

Sunset Patio Book 1959

Box 4, Folder 13

User's Resource Recreation Planning Method 1959

Box 4, Folder 14-15, flat-file-drawer W 4.19, Flat-File 5

Visual Unit Concept 1984

 

Faculty Papers III. 1952-1987

 

Tenure Portfolio A. 1952-2003

Box 4, Folder 1

Tenure Portfolio: Residential Projects, Tetlow's Paintings 1962-2003

Box 4, Folder 2

Tenure Portfolio: Strybing Arboreteum 1973

Box 4, Folder 3

Tenure Portfolio: Creative and Professional Activities 1952-1956

Box 4, Folder 4

Tenure Portfolio: Textbook Outline n.d.

Box 4, Folder 5

Tenure Portfolio: Visual Vulnerability Project 1975-1981

Box 4, Folder 6

Tenure Portfolio: Subject Classification Model 1955

Box 4, Folder 7

Tenure Portfolio: American Society of Landscape Accrediting 1971-1973

Box 4, Folder 8

Tenure Portfolio: Grant Applications and Curriculum 1967-1974

Box 4, Folder 9

Tenure Portfolio: Public Service Letters 1967-1975

Box 4, Folder 10

Tenure Portfolio: Strybing Arboreteum 1962

 

Course Materials B. 1977-1985

Box 5, Folder 11

LA 102 Course Lectures - Spring 1985 1985

Box 5, Folder 12-13

LA 134 Course Lectures 1981, 1986, 1987

Box 5, Folder 14

LA 134 Course Lectures - Graphic Examples 1979

Box 6, Folder 15-16

Graphics Techniques Classified by Media 1977, 1978, 1980

 

Students' Work C. 1976-1985

Box 6, Folder 17

Examples of Student Work 1976-1985

 

Project Records IV. 1949-1965

Scope and Contents

The project records include many drawings executed by Tetlow for private residences in the Bay Area and in Oregon. The work that Tetlow did for the Strybing Arboretum is well documented in this series by extensive drawings and written documentation. Tetlow also did design work for the University of California, Berkeley and the University of Oregon, Eugene.
flat-file-drawer W 4.19, Flat-File 6

Allard Davis CA 1953

flat-file-drawer W 4.19, Flat-File 7

Barovetto Davis CA 1953

flat-file-drawer W 4.19, Flat-File 8

Brooks, Reid Davis CA 1954

flat-file-drawer W 4.19, Flat-File 7

Brown Berkeley CA 1950

flat-file-drawer W 4.19, Flat-File 8

Bureau of Parks and Recreation: Irrigation Plans for Municipal Pool and Washington Park Eugene OR 1949

flat-file-drawer W 4.19, Flat-File 8

C.A.L.A. Exhibit 1955

flat-file-drawer W 4.19, Flat-File 9

Carter, Harold Berkeley CA 1955

flat-file-drawer W 4.19, Flat-File 9

Clement, L.J. Davis CA 1954

flat-file-drawer W 4.19, Flat-File 9

Damanske, A.B. Davis CA 1952

 

Emory, C.A. Berkeley CA n.d.

 

Gerbode, Gertrude Piedmont CA 1955

flat-file-drawer W 4.19, Flat-File 10

George, Alex Davis CA 1952-1954

flat-file-drawer W 4.19, Flat-File 10

Gibson, D.A. [Davis] CA 1953

flat-file-drawer W 4.19, Flat-File 10

Goelzer El Cerrito CA 1955

flat-file-drawer W 4.19, Flat-File 11

Lowe, H.E. [Berkeley] CA 1956

flat-file-drawer W 4.19, Flat-File 11

McLucas, J.D. Hood River OR n.d.

flat-file-drawer W 4.19, Flat-File 11

Nestor, B.L. Berkeley CA 1957

flat-file-drawer W 4.19, Flat-File 12

Raski, Dewey Davis CA 1954

flat-file-drawer W 4.19, Flat-File 12

Ramsey, Warren Berkeley CA 1958

Box 6, Folder 1-6, flat-file-drawer W 4.19, Flat-File 13

San Francisco, City and County of, Department of Public Works: Strybing Arboretum San Francisco CA 1949-1965

flat-file-drawer W 4.19, Flat-File 14

Stoddard, K.B. Berkeley CA [1954]

flat-file-drawer W 4.19, Flat-File 14

Struck, James Parkdale OR 1956

Box 6, Folder 7, flat-file-drawer W 4.19, Flat-File 14

Tetlow, Robert Berkeley CA n.d.

flat-file-drawer W 4.19, Flat-File 15

Thode, E.N. [Berkeley] CA 1958

flat-file-drawer W 4.19, Folder 15

Thomas, W.R. El Cerrito CA 1958

flat-file-drawer W 4.19, Flat-File 7

University of California (UC): Blake Gardens Kensington CA n.d.

flat-file-drawer W 4.19, Flat-File 15

University of California (UC): A Subdivision Berkeley CA 1958

flat-file-drawer W 4.19, Flat-File 16

University of Oregon Eugene OR 1949

Box 6, Folder 8, flat-file-drawer W 4.19, Flat-File 16

U.S. Corps of Engineers, San Francisco: Shelters for Tilden Park Berkeley CA 1964

flat-file-drawer W 4.19, Flat-File 7

Watson, David F. Piedmont CA 1958

flat-file-drawer W 4.19, Flat-File 16

Warne, Herbert Davis CA 1954

flat-file-drawer W 4.19, Flat-File 17

Wells, Rutherford Winters CA 1956

flat-file-drawer W 4.19, Flat-File 17

Wilson, E.E. College Park 1954