Charles Morris Anderson
Encyclopedia
Charles Morris Anderson is a landscape architect
and founder of Charles Anderson Landscape Architecture (CALA), a Seattle-based landscape architecture
firm.
Charles Anderson is known for combining nature, community needs, and art into his designs, emphasizing local and national sustainability.
. It was there he acquired his passion for landscaping, his career beginning when he did landscape contracting during his high school years.
, affiliated with the team involved in the World Trade Center Memorial
project; Richard Haag
, famous for his Gas Works Park
project in Seattle; and Laurie Olin
who, in the 1980s, served as the head chair of the landscape architecture program at Harvard University
. Anderson also had special interest in the work of both Robert Smithson
, an influential artist of the 1960s and 1970’s, and James Turrell
, a contemporary artist who focuses on light and space.
In 1981, Anderson received his Bachelor of Landscape Architecture from Washington State University
. He then continued his studies at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design where he earned his Master of Landscape Architecture degree in 1985.
Anderson currently teaches as a Visiting Associate Professor at Arizona State University with upper-division Landscape Architecture students, along with his own firm internationally.
While the primary focus area of the studio is the Pacific Northwest
, projects have ranged from New York to California to Alaska. The firm has completed over 25 community-based projects within the Seattle metropolitan area
.
Notable projects include providing landscape design for the Anchorage Museum
expansion, as well as Seattle’s 8.5 acres (3.4 ha) Olympic Sculpture Park
, Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument
, Manhattan’s Arthur Ross Terrace, and the Bellingham Art and Children’s Museum.
Some neighborhood park projects include the Roxhill Wetland and Bog Park in West Seattle and the restoration of the 500 Area of Discovery Park
,
both of which received Merit Awards from the Washington Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects
.
The Washington State Chapter of ASLA inducted Anderson into the Council of Fellows in 2006.
Landscape architect
A landscape architect is a person involved in the planning, design and sometimes direction of a landscape, garden, or distinct space. The professional practice is known as landscape architecture....
and founder of Charles Anderson Landscape Architecture (CALA), a Seattle-based landscape architecture
Landscape architecture
Landscape architecture is the design of outdoor and public spaces to achieve environmental, socio-behavioral, or aesthetic outcomes. It involves the systematic investigation of existing social, ecological, and geological conditions and processes in the landscape, and the design of interventions...
firm.
Charles Anderson is known for combining nature, community needs, and art into his designs, emphasizing local and national sustainability.
Early life
Born in 1957, Anderson was raised in Jamestown, North DakotaJamestown, North Dakota
As of the census of 2000, there were 15,527 people, 6,505 households, and 3,798 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,246.7 per square mile . There were 6,970 housing units at an average density of 559.6 per square mile...
. It was there he acquired his passion for landscaping, his career beginning when he did landscape contracting during his high school years.
Career
Anderson shared similar ideas to other industry figures, some of whom became his mentors. Some of his mentors included Peter WalkerPeter Walker (architect)
Peter Walker is a landscape architect in the United States.-Biography and Influences:Peter Walker grew up in California and attended the University of California, Berkeley. Walker initially started out in Journalism but quickly changed his field...
, affiliated with the team involved in the World Trade Center Memorial
World Trade Center Memorial
- Fundraising :The Foundation has fundraising responsibilities because of the tasks assigned to it by the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation...
project; Richard Haag
Richard Haag
Richard Haag is a United States landscape architect. He is famous for his work on Gas Works Park in Seattle, Washington and on the Bloedel Reserve on Bainbridge Island. He is also noted for founding the Landscape Architecture Program at the University of Washington and for holding multiple design...
, famous for his Gas Works Park
Gas Works Park
Gas Works Park in Seattle, Washington is a 19.1 acre public park on the site of the former Seattle Gas Light Company gasification plant, located on the north shore of Lake Union at the south end of the Wallingford neighborhood. Gas Works park contains remnants of the sole remaining coal...
project in Seattle; and Laurie Olin
Laurie Olin
Laurie Olin is an American landscape architect. He has worked on everything from private residences to large public parks. Olin grew up in Alaska, and earned his degree in Architecture from the University of Washington, in Seattle where he was mentored under Richard Haag. After graduating he...
who, in the 1980s, served as the head chair of the landscape architecture program at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
. Anderson also had special interest in the work of both Robert Smithson
Robert Smithson
Robert Smithson was an American artist famous for his land art.-Background and education:Smithson was born in Passaic, New Jersey and studied painting and drawing in New York City at the Art Students League of New York....
, an influential artist of the 1960s and 1970’s, and James Turrell
James Turrell
James Turrell is an American artist primarily concerned with light and space. Turrell was a MacArthur Fellow in 1984. He is represented by The Pace Gallery in New York...
, a contemporary artist who focuses on light and space.
In 1981, Anderson received his Bachelor of Landscape Architecture from Washington State University
Washington State University
Washington State University is a public research university based in Pullman, Washington, in the Palouse region of the Pacific Northwest. Founded in 1890, WSU is the state's original and largest land-grant university...
. He then continued his studies at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design where he earned his Master of Landscape Architecture degree in 1985.
Anderson currently teaches as a Visiting Associate Professor at Arizona State University with upper-division Landscape Architecture students, along with his own firm internationally.
Charles Anderson Landscape Architecture
In 1994, Anderson established his self-named firm, Charles Anderson Landscape Architecture. Based in Seattle, Washington, it became a well-known firm responsible for several landscape projects.While the primary focus area of the studio is the Pacific Northwest
Pacific Northwest
The Pacific Northwest is a region in northwestern North America, bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains on the east. Definitions of the region vary and there is no commonly agreed upon boundary, even among Pacific Northwesterners. A common concept of the...
, projects have ranged from New York to California to Alaska. The firm has completed over 25 community-based projects within the Seattle metropolitan area
Seattle metropolitan area
The Seattle metropolitan area in the US state of Washington includes the city of Seattle, King County, Snohomish County, and Pierce County within the Puget Sound region. The U.S...
.
Notable projects include providing landscape design for the Anchorage Museum
Anchorage Museum of History and Art
The Anchorage Museum at Rasmuson Center is a museum located in downtown Anchorage in the U.S. state of Alaska. Beginning as a public-private partnership to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Alaska purchase, it opened in 1968 with an exhibition of 60 borrowed Alaska paintings and a collection...
expansion, as well as Seattle’s 8.5 acres (3.4 ha) Olympic Sculpture Park
Olympic Sculpture Park
The Olympic Sculpture Park is a public park in Seattle, Washington that opened on January 20, 2007.The park consists of a outdoor sculpture museum and beach. The park was designed by Weiss/Manfredi Architects, along with Charles Anderson Landscape Architecture and other consultants. It is...
, Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument
Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument
Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument is a U.S. National Monument that includes the area around Mount St. Helens in Washington. It was established on August 27, 1982 by U.S. President Ronald Reagan following the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens. The 110,000 acre National Volcanic...
, Manhattan’s Arthur Ross Terrace, and the Bellingham Art and Children’s Museum.
Some neighborhood park projects include the Roxhill Wetland and Bog Park in West Seattle and the restoration of the 500 Area of Discovery Park
Discovery Park (Seattle)
Discovery Park is a 534 acre park in the peninsular Magnolia neighborhood of Seattle, Washington. It is the city's largest public park and contains 11.81 miles of walking trails. United Indians of All Tribes' Daybreak Star Cultural Center is within the park's boundaries...
,
both of which received Merit Awards from the Washington Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects
American Society of Landscape Architects
The American Society of Landscape Architects is the national professional association representing landscape architects, with more than 17,000 members in 48 chapters, representing all 50 states, U.S. territories, and 42 countries around the world, plus 68 student chapters...
.
Recognition
The American Society of Landscape Architecture (ASLA) awarded Anderson for his designs in the Tables of Water in Lake Washington, Washington, the Mount Saint Helens project, the Trillium Projects in Seattle, and the Arthur Ross Terrace design in Manhattan, New York.The Washington State Chapter of ASLA inducted Anderson into the Council of Fellows in 2006.