Top Landscape Architectural Firm Chosen for Presidio Project

Presidio of San Francisco (November 18, 2003) — The internationally renowned landscape architect firm of Olin Partnerships, of Philadelphia whose credentials include the Olimpica in Barcelona, the gardens of the Getty Museum in Los Angeles, and Byrant Park, New York has been selected to design a new “green” landscape for the drab Main Parade Ground.

The landscape at the seven-acre parade ground on the Main Post will undergo a dramatic transformation that could include the introduction of lawn areas and other landscape improvements that are compatible with the historic character of the Main Post district at the Presidio. It is envisioned as the central arrival area for Presidio visitors and a lively pedestrian district as well as vibrant open space.

“We are delighted to have a firm of Olin Partnership’s credentials to help us design the future of this historic space,” said Craig Middleton, executive director of the Presidio Trust. “Olin Partnerships has put together a team of professionals adept at creating innovative public landscapes and contemporary designs.”

Lucinda R. Sanders, who is a Principal at Olin Partnership and an Adjunct Associate Professor of Landscape Architecture at the University of Pennsylvania, was chosen to manage the project for the Olin Partnership, which was selected by a committee that included representatives of the National Park Service, Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy, and the Presidio Trust.

Recent Olin projects include Rincon Park in San Francisco; Hudson Yards in New York City; and One Pennsylvania Plaza in Philadelphia. Laurie D. Olin, who is the founding partner of the firm which bears his name and a Practice Professor of Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning at the University of Pennsylvania, will consult on the project.

The Main Parade Ground is currently a surface parking lot surrounded by signature red-brick, 19th century Montgomery Street barracks on one side and offering a grand view of the Golden Gate Bridge and San Francisco Bay.

Created by Congress in 1996, the Presidio Trust is charged with preserving the Presidio’s natural, cultural, scenic, and recreational resources while achieving financially self-sufficiency by 2013. Six presidential appointees and the Secretary of the Interior, or her designee, sit on the Board of Directors and oversee the management of 80 percent of Presidio lands. The park spans 1,491 acres from the Pacific Ocean to the San Francisco Bay and offers impressive views, a diverse ecosystem, a dynamic shoreline and historic forests.