Pioneer Information
The architectural firm known as WMRT was formed first in Philadelphia as Wallace-McHarg Associates. Founded by Harvard classmates landscape architect Ian L. McHarg and planner-architect David A. Wallace, the practice allowed McHarg to apply his interest in ecology to design. The scope of their work ranged from large-scale urban redevelopment plans to land conservation initiatives and included the Baltimore Inner Harbor and the Plan for the Valleys, Maryland. In 1963, the firm leadership expanded to include landscape architect William H. Roberts and architect Thomas A. Todd and changed its name. WMRT conducted transportation studies, completed ecological plans for numerous American cities, and designed new towns throughout the 1960s and 1970s. Prominent projects include the WMATA in Washington, D.C.; the Amelia Island Master Plan in Florida; and the new capital city of Abuja, Nigeria. McHarg resigned from WMRT in 1979. The firm continued as Wallace Roberts & Todd, LLC, later renamed WRT, LLC. The firm continues to emphasize the importance of considering ecology and interdisciplinary approaches to design and regional planning on projects, such as the U.S. Capitol Master Plan for Washington, D.C.; the Trinity River Corridor Design Guidelines for Dallas, Texas; and the New Orleans City Park.
