Beverly Gardens Park 2010 PDF

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Jessie Kostosky ARCH 565, University of Southern California November 4, 2010 Research/Analytical Paper Beverly Gardens Park 1. Introduction and Overview The Beverly Gardens Park is located in Beverly Hills, running adjacent to Santa Monica Boulevard. It was originally planned as three-block “Santa M...

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Jessie Kostosky ARCH 565, University of Southern California November 4, 2010 Research/Analytical Paper

Beverly Gardens Park 1. Introduction and Overview The Beverly Gardens Park is located in Beverly Hills, running adjacent to Santa Monica Boulevard. It was originally planned as three-block “Santa Monica Park” in 1906, stretching from Crescent to Rodeo Drive, and it was “…intended to give a first impression of Beverly Hills to the many visitors who traveled through the area,” including potential residents for the new town (Wanamaker 21). The designer of the park, Wilbur D. Cook, Jr., prepared the master plan for the subdivision of Beverly Hills at its inception in the early years of the 20 th Century (United States Department of Transportation). Cook has the distinction of being the “first trained landscape architect/city planner to work in the Los Angeles area,” and he had worked with the Olmstead Brothers (ibid). Early photos portray the park as a lush oasis in an undeveloped, rural area (see image 1.1). In 1930 the park was expanded to include adjoining land along Santa Monica Boulevard from Whittier Drive in the west to Doheny Drive in the east, increasing the park to its current 1.9 mile stretch, or 16.3 acres (image 1.2) (United States Department of Transportation). When the park was expanded, the firm of Wilbur D. Cook, Jr. was again selected to design it. According to Wanamaker, the Park “…acted as both a buffer zone between the business and residential districts and as a city park” (23). The combination of attractive city park and utilitarian buffer for the adjacent residential area still endures today.

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2. Organization and Edges The overall organization of the park is essentially axial, with a narrow strip of greenery and a path parallel to Santa Monica Boulevard enduring for almost the entire length of the park. However, there are a few places in the park where the path changes from the straight parallel form to an off-axis arrangement in order to move visitors through a special section, such as the formal rose garden areas, the plaza-like portion near the “Beverly Hills” sign, or the cactus garden (images 2.1 and 2.2). Santa Monica Blvd. and the adjacent residential area to the north comprise the context of the park; Santa Monica is a major thoroughfare, and the residential area has large, well-kept homes. The park is a narrow strip—approximately 75 feet wide—so the edges of the landscape extend literally to the road and to the houses. Turf grass ends at Santa Monica Blvd., edged by a curb, and tall hedges or fences covered in ivy hide homes from view on the north of the park. In addition to being a park for pedestrians, the area is also accessible visually to motorists, but it is not really accessible to the homes that are bordering the park, i.e., residents have to enter the park from one of the side streets, not from their back yard or patio. In this way, the park engages and merges with one boundary (Santa Monica Blvd.) and confronts another (residences). The effect is to make the park feel very much open to the Boulevard. The area across from the park is primarily commercial, and includes such buildings as the Beverly Hills Civic Center, Post Office, and other shopping/dining businesses. Many of the areas across from the park are planted with tall shrubs or trees, extending the “green view” across Santa Monica Boulevard and essentially incorporating the roadway into the view and experience.

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3. Views Intentional views do not seem to make up a large part of the experience of the park. Large trees planted parallel to the path help to direct flow and visually draw the eye along the path (image 3.1), but benches are placed facing the Boulevard. There are a couple of places where the path forces pedestrians to engage with certain elements of the design, but even these seem like almost unintentional views. For example, a path in the cactus garden brings pedestrians in from an angle, and leads right to a prickly pear cactus (image 3.2), which is not necessarily a “focal point” in the same way a sculpture or vista would be. There is one intentional view near the major fountain on the western end of the park; the fountain is a large visual attraction at the terminus of the path. Approaching the fountain, one looks through a “frame” of two trees and hedges at the side of the path (image 3.3). However, this view could be interpreted as either intentional or as a by-product of the narrow axial arrangement of the park. 4. Choreography of experience The choreography of experience in this park is due in large part to the parallel orientation along Santa Monica Boulevard. The wide central path functions as a promenade and jogging path and owing to the strong influence of this central path over other options, visitors are mostly passing through the park rather than engaging with it in terms of sitting, playing, etc. During one observation period of twenty minutes, I saw 34 people, 18 of whom were briskly walking, 16 of whom were jogging. None of them appeared to be strolling for an experience other than exercise, and no one was off the central path on the turf or looking at the rose 3

gardens or other special garden areas. My experience walking through the park was constantly inflected by the proximity to Santa Monica Blvd. and the noise coming from the traffic-- I am not sure that I would want to sit and read a book on one of the benches in the park. However, the more picturesque parts of the park such as the rose gardens, the old three-block center of the park, and the cactus gardens change from a single central path to a multi-path form and this could help draw visitors through the space to explore the different gardens and linger a bit more than they do along the jogging path (images 2.3 and 4.1). The eastern rose garden is formally arranged (images 2.1 and 4.2), and roses are bordered by clipped boxwood hedges. The roses are fairly homogenous, and perhaps because it is late in the season they seemed uninteresting and demanded little interaction. The other rose garden which is further west is more interesting. According to a plaque placed in the western rose garden, “Betty’s Garden” was installed in 2006. It is designed with an informal, curving path bordering the roses, and the beds are not separated from the visitor by hedges so the taller tea roses seem to beckon the visitor to come nearer, engage with the scents, and wander through the garden. Betty’s Garden also has added interest of dual topiaries with climbing roses as well as a large fountain in the central path. Overall, it seems like a more successful version of a rose garden for this location. The old three-block center of the park beginning at Crescent Street is a more purposefully laid out area in terms of choreography. The visitor enters from one of the corners of the block and moves inward on an angle to the street, passing one of the several park sculptures at the eastern or western end adjacent to Santa Monica Blvd. The center of the quad

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is a memorial sculpture, “Hunter and Hounds,” commemorating Armistice Day; the circular path around the sculpture encourages visitors to engage with the piece and to continue on any of the other “legs” of the path, not just in a forward direction as in the majority of the park (image 4.1). 5. Program and Function The function of the park, as noted earlier, is mainly to provide a visual and sound buffer between busy Santa Monica Boulevard and the adjacent residential areas. The park program includes an emphasis on walking/jogging along the main path and there is a secondary program area in the original three-block section (by the Beverly Hills sign) for tourism activities and as a restroom/transit stop (along Canon Drive)(image 5.1). Signage when entering the park states that there should be no “turf-related activities,” such as soccer, Frisbee, etc., so most of the activity is confined to the main path area. Twice a year, the park’s temporary program is as a cultural center when Beverly Hills holds an art festival called “Affaire in the Gardens” in October and May (Beverly Gardens Park). I also observed a few homeless individuals in the park, and when I visited at night (9:00 pm on a Saturday), one person was sleeping on a park bench, so this could account for a third albeit unintentional program. No other people were in the park after dark, even though residential areas are close by, and the posted hours state that the park is open until 10:00 pm daily. 6. Climate The design of the park minimally addresses the climate of the area. It is oriented so that seating areas are facing south (looking toward Santa Monica Blvd.), causing visitors to look into 5

the south sun if not shaded by trees. For the most part, the park is exposed to the elements— there are no buffers from strong winds, rain, sun, etc. other than a number of good-sized trees along the entire length of the park. The placement of these trees could have been a design decision based on aesthetics in addition to concern for shade in a hot and sunny climate. Topography is not a dominant issue in the park, so drainage and grading does not seem to have played a large role in the design. It appears that if any grading was done, it was minimal, and would have mostly been to create an imperceptible slope toward the street for drainage. The main path through the site is decomposed granite, a semi-permeable paving substance1, so this may assist in drainage in the park. 7. Plants There are numerous planting beds and special garden areas in the park; many of the species I was able to identify in these places were exotics (image 7.1). Some of these include palm trees, jacaranda, lamb’s ear, rosemary, iris, birds of paradise, magnolia, and a large number of Weeping Elms (Ulmus parvifolia) along the edges of the path. In the cactus garden I identified prickly pear and Joshua tree species among several different species present. In the original park section there was an impressively large ficus tree, possibly a Weeping Fig (Ficus benjamina), as well as some other large pine trees that were probably planted during the initial phase of construction. Image 7.2 gives one a good idea of what the park and its plantings may have looked like soon after its construction in 1906.

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DG is only permeable up to about 1-2 inches, less than the thickness usually used in paths. (From class with Bob Perry, 11.2.10)

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The planting beds that line the north side of the park are very utilitarian, and often consist of a low groundcover such as ivy with unremarkable shrubs planted to conceal the wall between the park and homes. Many of the planting beds on the east side of the park look somewhat neglected and in need of weeding (image 7.3), but as one travels to the west through the park, especially after Maple Street, it appears that more thought and care has gone into the design and maintenance of the flower and vegetation beds (image 7.4) 8. Water Water plays a role in this garden through the use of fountains. There are three fountains in the park; one is a stone statuary fountain in “Betty’s Garden,” another is under the Beverly Hills sign, and the most important is the historic Electric Fountain on the westernmost edge of the park. The stone or poured concrete fountain in “Betty’s Garden” (figure 8.1) makes use of four satyr figures which appear to hold up the top bowl of the fountain. Water cascades from the top of the fountain, down the satyrs, and falls in small trickles and rivulets into the large basin below. The fountain fits nicely into the formal rose garden space with a large classicalinspired trellis as a backdrop. The fountain is not lit within or underneath, but at night the ambient light from the surrounding park area (mostly under the large arbor) illuminates the piece. The sound from the cascading water is audible but not so loud that it drowns out the traffic noise, so the overall effect of the fountain is subtle, relaxing, and meditative. Under the iconic Beverly Hills sign there is a fountain that seems like an afterthought. The white tiered base of the sign, made out of concrete or stucco, has a cut-out section in the 7

center that is approximately 4 feet wide by 4 inches tall (figure 8.2). Out of this cut flows a single sheet of water, creating a simple waterfall effect into the unremarkable half-circle pool below. The original Beverly Hills sign sat atop a large lily pool which has since been removed (figure 7.2), and perhaps this water feature is an homage to the original design, though unsuccessful in my opinion, since it demands no interaction and is barely noticeable. The electric fountain at the western end of the park sits at the intersection of Wilshire and Santa Monica Blvd., and it is a large focal piece whether viewed by foot or by car. This fountain was installed in 1931 at a cost of $22,000 when the park was expanded from the original 3-block portion to its current size (Newton). The fountain consists of a large basin with an obelisk-like structure on a pedestal, topped by a kneeling Tongva figure. The base of the pedestal has a frieze showing figures of settlers, missionaries, and Tongva, presumably inspired by the early settlement history of the region. The memorial plaque mounted on the north wall of the space notes that the architect of the piece was Ralph Flewelling and the sculptor was Merrell Gage. The exterior of the lower basin is edged with Spanish-style tiles, and the pavers surrounding the area are a terracotta-colored tile in keeping with the Spanish theme. This fountain is approximately 30 feet wide and the central portion is about 15 feet tall. The display of water emanating from the pedestal varies over time, ranging from many small jets to misty clouds to both small jets and large jets, etc. The fountain was the first of its kind to use the combination of lighting and water in such a way, offering a display of water and multicolored lights, “. . . timed to give 60 different combinations [of effects] every 8 minutes” (United States Department of Transportation).

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The Electric Fountain is said to have stopped traffic at its unveiling, due to the crowds that marveled at this state-of-the art piece (Newton). Even today, the fountain is a strong focal point of the park, situated as it is on this busy intersection and as the culmination point of the axial path through the park from east to west. The addition of benches around the edge of the fountain plaza encourages visitors to not only examine the fountain in detail, but to sit and take in the whole view of the art piece with the bustling city as a backdrop. When I visited this fountain at night, the changing display of water and light was indeed fascinating, and I found myself turning around even when I was leaving to see what new effect would be presented. The effect of nighttime darkness and the illumination of the fountain gives the place added mystery, and makes the viewer want to explore and interact with the fountain both as a historical piece but also as a living testament to human ingenuity (figure 8.4). The powerful jets and the sound of water shooting into the air as well as falling into the pool below is almost loud enough to mask the noise of the area, providing a respite from the aural experience of the busy intersection while allowing the fountain to reside in it visually. 9. Orientation, Light, and Shadow

It seems like the orientation of the park as an east-west strip was primarily determined by the directionality of Santa Monica Blvd., and not as a way to manipulate visual effects or climate. However, in the same way that Santa Monica Blvd. is dominated in the evening by the setting sun, the park is enhanced in the late afternoon and evening as the sun brings a softer and more subtle light quality to the park. Trees in the park are placed along the main path but are not densely planted, allowing one to see the sky from almost any location. As noted above, the artificial lighting effects from the Electric Fountain play a large role in the experience of the 9

fountain plaza. Some effects, such as flood lighting in “Betty’s Garden,” (figure 9.1) seem like they are more for safety and path-lighting than for emotional effect, while others, such as the birdcage trellis lighting, appear to be for visual appeal (figure 9.2) . Although I visited on the night of a full moon, the park was not enhanced by the moonlight because the ambient light from the street as well as lighting in the park itself prevented the more delicate light of the moon from being observed. 10. Scent and Sound

Scent and sound play a role in particular places in the Beverly Gardens, but overall there is not a strong emphasis on these senses while experiencing the park. Specific locations where they come into relief are in the two rose gardens and at the three fountains in the park. The particular sound effects of the fountains are noted above. Scent appears only as rosemary plants in a flower bed located in the original 3-block area and as jasmine near the Electric Fountain, and sound other than from fountains predominately comes from the crunch of jogger’s feet on the decomposed granite jogging path as well traffic from Santa Monica Boulevard. 11. Other Features Scattered throughout the park are notable sculptures, especially on the western end and in the original central section of the park (from Crescent to Rodeo Drives). Sculptures tend to be placed in the turf area between the roadway and the walkway, again making them accessible both by foot and car. The sculptures near the roadway are modern and sometimes abstract (images 11.1 through 11.3), with multiple points of view lending themselves to 10

changing interpretations as one drives or walks along the park edge. These sculptures have not always been met with excitement or approval by the local community, however. According to the Beverly Hills Courier, some residents oppose the installation of modern art in this park and call it “…out of scale, and out of place” (Glass Panel 'Artwork' Draws Heavy Flak). Residents opposed to the sculptures want Beverly Gardens to remain a green space, not a sculpture garden, and disagree with having a small committee decide what visual symbols will be present in the park. Some of the other notable elements in the park, in addition to the fountains mentioned before, include the Beverly Hills sign, and a sculpture called “Hunter and Hounds,” by Henri Marie Alfred Jacquemart (figure 11.4). This sculpture was dedicated on the property of W.D. Longyear, a resident of Beverly Hills, on Armistice Day in 1925 in memory of his son who was killed at the battle of Chateau Thierry in 1918, where the sculpture was originally located (Hunter and Hounds). The sculpture was relocated to the Beverly Gardens, and now stands as a memorial not only to the son of Mr. Longyear, but also to all of the soldiers who died in World War I. The battle-scarred sculpture serves as a poignant centerpiece in the original 3-block section of the park. Benches along the main promenade make up additional structures in the park. The materials that benches are constructed from vary, and include wood, metal, and concrete. Streetlamps are placed along the road and illuminate both the roadway and the turf area of the park. Modern metal streetlamps are present along certain stretches of the park, while in other areas an older style of lamp is used and the metal is painted an appealing dark green color.

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Other park amenities include metal drinking fountains, concrete wastebaskets, and the large trellis structures and topiary trellises that were noted earlier. Overall, the design emphasis is on artistic structures such as sculptures and fountains rather than on utilitarian features such as the benches and drinking fountains. 12. Cultural Symbolism and Relationship to Natural World When the park was installed in 1906, the city of Beverly Hills purposely located the site at the crossroads the main thoroughfare and civic buildings such as the post office and Pacific Electric Beverly Station train depot (Wanamaker, 21). As mentioned before...