Guide to the Landscape records for the University of California, Berkeley, 1959-1969

Processed by The Bancroft Library staff
University Archives
The Bancroft Library
University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, California, 94720-6000
Email: bancref@library.berkeley.edu
URL: https://www.lib.berkeley.edu/visit/bancroft/university-archives
© 2001
The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved.

Guide to the Landscape Records for the University of California, Berkeley, 1959-1969

Collection number: CU-411

University Archives, The Bancroft Library



University of California, Berkeley

Berkeley, California

Contact Information:

  • University Archives
  • The Bancroft Library
  • University of California, Berkeley
  • Berkeley, California, 94720-6000
  • Phone: (510) 642-2933
  • Fax: (510) 642-7589
  • Email: bancref@library.berkeley.edu
  • URL: https://www.lib.berkeley.edu/visit/bancroft/university-archives/
Processed by:
The Bancroft Library staff
Date Completed:
Nov. 2000
Encoded by:
Xiuzhi Zhou
© 2001 The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved.

Collection Summary

Collection Title: Landscape Records for the University of California, Berkeley,
Date (inclusive): 1959-1969
Collection Number: CU-411
Creator: Church, Thomas Dolliver
Extent: 1 box, 24 oversize folders
Repository: The Bancroft Library. University Archives.
Berkeley, California 94720-6000
Physical Location: For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the Library's online catalog.
Languages Represented: English

Information for Researchers

Access

Collection is open for research.

Publication Rights

Copyright has not been assigned to The Bancroft Library. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Head of Public Services. Permission for publication is given on behalf of The Bancroft Library as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the reader.

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], Thomas D Church, Landscape records for the University of California Berkeley, CU-411 Ser. [x], Fol. [x], University Archives, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley.

Administrative Information

Acquisition Information

Gift of Thomas Church to The Bancroft Library in 1972; transferred to University Archives in March 1988

Administrative History

Thomas Church was chief landscape architect for the Berkeley Campus from September 1961 through June 1969. Church was known for his 'user-oriented' landscaping; in addition to his Berkeley and extensive private work he also did work for the UC Santa Cruz campus and for Stanford University.
Prior to 1961, the university had used faculty members for landscaping advice; perhaps the best known of these was John Gregg, whom John Galen Howard was known to consult on landscaping. During the 1950s Lawrence Halprin was hired to complete a master plan for the development of the campus, but there seems to have been a disagreement between Halprin and the university administration, and the plan came to naught. Still the building plans set forth in the Long Range Development Plan of 1956 called for an equally intensive analysis of the campus landscape, which Church agreed to perform.
In addition to providing landscaping for the construction projects of the 1960s, Church also devoted much of his energy to the open spaces on campus. Areas such as Strawberry Creek became much more of a focal point under Church's plan, which sought to maintain and even emphasize the traditional park-like atmosphere of the campus in the face of intensive building.

Scope and Content

The collection covers the period of Church's campus landscaping and includes correspondence, reports, photographs, and landscaping plans for building projects of the 1960s as well as for the General Campus Improvement Plan being developed concurrently.

Box 1

Series 1

Scope and Content Note

Contracts and agreements, development of the master plan, and correspondence.
box 1, folder 1

Contract with the University of California, Berkeley, 1961

folder 2

Master plan agreement, 1959-1961, and vouchers

folder 3

Master plan report, 1961-1962

folder 4

Master plan, miscellaneous notes

folder 5

Correspondence and miscellany re Evans Hall project, 1963-1970

folder 6

Correspondence 1961-71. Includes his letter of resignation.

folder 7

Photographs taken during Barrows Hall construction

folder 8

Miscellany

Oversize folders

Series 2

Physical Description: (Oversize folders)

Scope and Content Note

Drawings and plans for the various projects Church worked on and includes drawings that range from preliminary sketches for some projects to as-built drawings for most of the projects.
oversize 1

Barrows Hall 1956-65

Physical Description: 11 pieces
oversize 2

Biochemistry Building 1964

Physical Description: 3 pieces
oversize 3

Birge Hall 1964-65

Physical Description: 8 pieces
oversize 4

Bridges: general campus improvement, step 1. 1965-67

Physical Description: 5 pieces

Scope and Content Note

Includes Pelican, Stephens and Dwinelle bridges
oversize 5

Bollards; drawing not by Church 1950, n.d.

Physical Description: 3 pieces
oversize 6

Bio-organic Laboratory (i.e., Calvin Laboratory) 1964-65

Physical Description: 2 pieces
oversize 7

Class of 1914 gift (fountain at College Avenue) 1966-68

Physical Description: 7 pieces
oversize 8

Class of 1935 gift (outdoor seminar area n.d.

Physical Description: 2 pieces
oversize 9

Dana Street Bridge; General Campus Improvement Step 2 1964-68

Physical Description: 16 pieces
oversize 10

Davis Hall; Engineering material Laboratory 1965-69

Physical Description: 11 pieces
oversize 11

East Entrance 1963-66

Physical Description: 19 pieces
oversize 12

Earth Sciences Building n.d.

Physical Description: 1 piece
oversize 13

Evans Hall 1964-65

Physical Description: 4 pieces
oversize 14

General Campus Improvement, Step 1: 1961

Physical Description: 8 pieces

Scope and Content Note

Includes Strawberry Creek from Dana Street to Sather Bridge, and from Stephens Hall to Faculty Club; also area between Gilman and LeConte Halls (see also folder 15)
oversize 15

General Campus Improvement, Step 1: Gilman LeConte Halls (see also folder 14) 1965

Physical Description: 8 pieces
oversize 16

General Campus Improvement, Step 2: Strawberry Creek, and Observatory Hill 1965-66

Physical Description: 7 pieces
oversize 17

General Campus Improvement, Step 2: Faculty Glade and Pelican Building steps 1966

Physical Description: 9 pieces
oversize 18

General Campus Improvement, Step 2: Haviland Hall 1966-67

Physical Description: 9 pieces
oversize 19

General Campus Improvement, Step 4: Overall plan, Central Glade, Crocker Laboratory site, Cowell Hospital parking. 1967-68

Physical Description: 10 pieces
oversize 20

Library and Central Glade n.d.

Physical Description: 2 pieces
oversize 21

Pelican Building-Moses Hall landscaping redevelopment (part of GCI, step 2) 1968

Physical Description: 3 pieces
oversize 22

Springer Memorial, west entrance 1962/64

Physical Description: 15 pieces
oversize 23

Storm drainage system development 1968

Physical Description: 3 pieces
oversize 24

Wurster Hall 1964-66

Physical Description: 28 pieces