Douglas E. Goldman, Stern Grove Festival’s Chairman of the Board
February 2010
Larry Halprin was a unique and supremely talented landscape architect. I had the distinct pleasure of interacting with Larry on two of his outstanding projects. One was the creation of the Richard and Rhoda Goldman Promenade in Jerusalem, Israel, and the other was the renovation of Sigmund Stern Grove.
The renovation of Stern Grove became one of his all-time favorites—he loved to take colleagues there for picnics. Indeed, his work transformed Stern Grove into one of the world’s great jewels for performing arts.
Equally important, he was an incredibly caring person whose compassion and sensitivity were part of his persona. He prided himself on his interactions with those whose lives would be touched by his work. The end result was evidence of his inimitable approach.
Greater still for me was the friendship and appreciation that developed between us. I so enjoyed and was enriched by our time together. As a longtime admirer of his work, I greatly appreciate how he has left his stamp of beauty upon so many special spaces throughout our planet. He will be missed.
Photo: Goldman and Halprin (Photo courtesy Doug Goldman)