Landscape Information
Developed by Crow, Pope and Carter in the late 1960s, this 65-acre apartment complex was a collaboration between the offices of Lawrence Halprin Associates (Richard Vignolo was design principal for the landscape master plan and site development plan) and Atlanta architects Cooper, Salzman and Carry. The site is bounded by Interstate 285 to the north and the Chattahoochee River to the east.
Intent upon preserving the natural beauty of the site, the designers created distinct communities focused on the river, the plateau, and the valley, each providing different views of the river, lakes, streams and created gardens. Building clusters set in the existing pine and hardwood forest were connected by walking paths to community amenities, including a clubhouse with swimming pool and tennis courts. Only 600 of the planned 1000 apartments were constructed. In the 1970s a poor economy in the North brought many newcomers to Atlanta in search of jobs and new opportunities. Riverbend appealed to many single people experimenting with sexual liberation, and the complex became notorious because of the party-like atmosphere which pervaded it. In 2006, the property was sold to the Walton Communities, who redesigned it and renamed the community Walton on the Chattahoochee. It is the only commission of its type in the region by Lawrence Halprin Associates.
