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Robert Royston Oral History

Jan 10, 2020

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The extraordinary life and career of landscape architect Robert Royston are the subject of the sixteenth oral history in the award-winning Pioneers of American Landscape Design^® Oral History Project series.

Robert Royston (1918-2008) began his six-decade-long career in landscape architecture after graduating from the University of California, Berkeley’s, landscape design program. During his studies he experimented with new and interdisciplinary approaches and developed a layered, playful, and highly functional design vocabulary. After working for the offices of Thomas Church in the 1940s, Royston partnered with Garrett Eckbo and Edward Williams to form Eckbo, Royston & Williams. Beginning with residences and gardens, Royston’s practice soon expanded to parks and playgrounds, including Mitchell Park, in Palo Alto, and Central Park, in Santa Clara. Royston started a new firm in 1958 with partners Asa Hanamoto and David Mayes, which ultimately became Royston, Hanamoto, Alley & Abey, now headquartered in Mill Valley, California. The firm, working in a period of considerable growth, completed a multitude of projects, ranging from residential gardens to the design of communities, including the expansive Sunriver community in Oregon (1969). Royston was named a Fellow of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) in 1973 and was awarded the ASLA Medal, the society’s highest award, in 1989. His distinguished career, extensive mentorship, and stylistic sensibilities have left an indelible mark on the field.

Oral History Framework

Video clips are divided into three categories: BIOGRAPHY, DESIGN, and PROJECTS.

Each clip is between one and six minutes long.

Interview: Robert Royston was interviewed by Charles A. Birnbaum, along with J.C. Miller, in August 2007.

Robert Royston Oral History Transcript

Reflections: The Cultural Landscape Foundation contacted Royston's colleagues and professional associates to share their stories and memories.

Robert Royston Reflections

YouTube Clip Listing by Category


BIOGRAPHY 1. Growing Up in California Royston’s exposure to landscape begins early. He learns the fundamentals of farming while growing up on his family’s Bay Area walnut farm in the 1920s. 2. Becoming a Landscape Architect Intrigued by the landscape architecture program at the University of California, Berkeley, Royston meets with university professor John Gregg, who influences the course of his life. 3. Working for Tommy Church A summer opportunity working with the pioneering Modernist landscape architect turns into a full-time job. 4. Meeting Garrett Eckbo While living in San Francisco’s Russian Hill neighborhood, Royston meets the influential Modernist landscape architect who would become a lifelong friend. 5. Eckbo, Royston & Williams Returning from World War II, Royston forms a partnership with Garrett Eckbo, establishing offices in San Francisco and Los Angeles. 6. The Land Itself Becomes the Form Determinant Both as a practitioner and as a professor at the University of California, Berkeley, Royston develops a design ethic that is informed by the landscape’s systems and characteristics. 7. Hiring Students Royston built a successful practice, in part, by tapping the top talent in his classes; here he reflects on some of those individuals.			DESIGN 1. Parks Were the Dullest Things in Class Royston recounts how, as a student, the least interesting subject for him was park design, which, he later found, offers an incredible range of design opportunities. 2. There Were No Rules Royston’s residential work was influenced by his own geometric abstract paintings, suggestions from clients, and the perception of the landscape from inside the home. 3. Space Has a Feeling The perception of space, such as that formed by the towering height of the giant redwoods in Muir Woods or the vast area beneath the Eiffel Tower, is a powerful design element. 4. The Landscape Architect Should Define Space Royston points to the success of the systems-based design of Olmsted’s Emerald Necklace in Boston and the inapt development in Mill Valley, CA, to demonstrate the need to work with and respect the natural contours of the land.		PROJECTS 1. Valencia Gardens and Potrero Terrace Housing Projects Royston discovers a distinct sense of design freedom working on prewar housing projects with architect William Wurster and landscape architect Tommy Church. 2. Vallejo Housing – Carquinez Heights Royston takes a leading role in the creation of a vast hillside housing project, working with architect William Wurster and landscape architect Tommy Church. 3. Standard Oil’s Rod and Gun Club For an employee-owned club, Royston creates a recreation area with arbors, picnic sites, a brightly colored playground, and other amenities. 4. Mitchell Park Royston discusses his work on the beloved community park in Palo Alto, CA. 5. Santa Clara Central Park Working with Earl Carmichael, the director of Santa Clara’s Parks and Recreation Department, Royston develops a 50-acre site into an innovative and wildly popular park. 6. Saint Mary's Square Royston creates a park atop one of the first underground garages in San Francisco. “No one,” he says, “thought about the roof.” 7. Royston and Stein Residences Royston recalls how architect Joseph Stein designed a home for himself and a neighboring one for Royston, with whom he worked. Royston created the landscapes for both, which include dramatic views of Mount Tamalpais. 8. Hart Garden At a cottage in Marin County, CA, Royston proclaims that he created “one of the most dramatic gardens I ever did.” 9. Chinn Garden Royston’s design for an urban residential garden in San Francisco incorporates rectilinear spaces, colored concrete, and plant materials. Viewed from above, one sees why it became known as the “Mondrian Garden.” 10. Sunriver Recruited by architect George Rockrise, Royston transforms an 8,000-acre former Army base into a bucolic, pedestrian-friendly community along Oregon’s Deschutes River.

Production Credits and Acknowledgments

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER

Charles A. Birnbaum, FASLA, FAAR

INTERVIEWER

Charles A. Birnbaum, FASLA, FAAR

J.C. Miller

PROJECT MANAGER

Barrett Doherty, ASLA

CINEMATOGRAPHER

Tom Fox

EDITOR/ANIMATION

Barrett Doherty, ASLA

COMPOSER

Brian Cho

TRANSCRIPT EDITOR

Scott Craver

The Cultural Landscape Foundation would like to thank the many people who contributed to making the Robert Royston Oral History a reality.

A project such as this comes to life only through the tremendous efforts of many individuals and organizations. We wish to thank Doug Nelson and J.C. Miller for their assistance in finding historical images and for connecting us to other resources. Thanks also goes to the Environmental Design Archives at the University of California, Berkeley, for the use of digitized images, as well as to Tom Fox of SWA for his help during videotaping. We also wish to express our gratitude to Harold Kobayashi, Tito Patri, Julia Machotka, Doug Nelson, Barbara Lundberg, Manuela King, and Cordelia Hill for contributing reflections about Robert Royston. A special thanks goes to the Royston family for their generous support. The Historic American Buildings Survey/Historic American Engineering Record/Historic American Landscapes Survey and Wikimedia Commons proved invaluable in illustrating this oral history. We are especially grateful to the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), our Annual Sponsor, for supporting the oral history series.

There were many generous funders for this oral history, including RHAA Landscape Architects, Hannalore Royston, Mike Bellinger, Jeffrey M. Chusid, Reed Dillingham, Douglas Nelson, Joan Shafran, Julia Machotka, Mario Nievera, Chris LaGuardia, Alexis Woods, Darwina L. Neal, CMG Landscape Architecture, Seth Rodewald-Bates, Charles A. Birnbaum, Nancy Slade, Charlene Roise, Alexander Bernstein, Barrett Doherty, Gina Ford, Linda Jewell, Donna Plunkett, Susannah Ross, Jennifer Trotoux, Elisabeth Orr, Noel Vernon, Robert Rumsey, Curtis Royston, Liese Greensfelder, James Ingels, Heather Clendenin, and Melissa Losos.

Photographs, prints, and drawings reproduced courtesy of the following individuals and institutions:

Charles A. Birnbaum; Boston Parks Department & Olmsted Architects National Park Service Olmsted Archives; Nicolas Boullosa; Brent DSC08689; Brendon Connelly; Kirt Edblom; Tom Fox; Internet Archive, Library of Congress; MB298; J.C. Miller; National Archives and Records Administration; OpenSFHistory / wnp 14.3143; OpenSFHistory / wnp 14.4190; OpenSFHistory / wnp 25.5941; OpenSFHistory / wnp 27.4365; Bill Reynolds; RHAA Landscape Architects; the Royston family; The Cultural Landscape Foundation; United States Navy; University of California, Berkeley; and usmodernist.org.

University and Museum Archives:

Charles Cushman Collection: Indiana University Archives

(P06537) (P12532)

Environmental Design Archives, University of California, Berkeley

-Alterations to defense housing project United States, Carquinez Heights Defense Housing, Vallejo, CA, 1941-1942 William W. Wurster/Wurster Bernardi & Emmons Collection, 1922-1974 Environmental Design Archives, University of California, Berkeley

-Completed plywood homes and view of bay United States, Carquinez Heights Defense Housing, Vallejo, CA, 1941-1942 William W. Wurster/Wurster Bernardi & Emmons Collection, 1922-1974 Environmental Design Archives, University of California, Berkeley

-View of units on hillside United States, Carquinez Heights Defense Housing, Vallejo, CA, 1941-1942 William W. Wurster/Wurster Bernardi & Emmons Collection, 1922-1974 Environmental Design Archives, University of California, Berkeley

-Site plan United States Housing Authority (Valencia Gardens), San Francisco, CA, 1939-1943 William W. Wurster/Wurster Bernardi & Emmons Collection, 1922-1974 Environmental Design Archives, University of California, Berkeley

-View of courtyard from balcony United States Housing Authority (Valencia Gardens), San Francisco, CA, 1939-1943 William W. Wurster/Wurster Bernardi & Emmons Collection, 1922-1974 Environmental Design Archives, University of California, Berkeley

Robert Royston Oral History

The extraordinary life and career of landscape architect Robert Royston are the subject of the sixteenth oral history in the award-winning Pioneers of American Landscape Design® Oral History Project series.

Oral History Framework

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The extraordinary life and career of landscape architect Robert Royston are the subject of the sixteenth oral history in the award-winning Pioneers of American Landscape Design^® Oral History Project series.