V I R G I N I A W A R M E M O R I A L
QUICK NOTES
DESIGNED BY: Nelson, Byrd, Woltz Landscape Architects (in collaboration with Glavé & Holmes Architecture)
LOCATION: Richmond, VA
YEAR DESIGNED: 2010
NOTABLE DESIGN ELEMENTS: Amphitheater and rain garden stage
long story short
Overlooking the James River in Richmond, Virginia War Memorial is a powerful dedication to veterans from Virginia. In 2010, Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects designed the E. Bruce Heilman Amphitheater to complement the Shrine of Memory and the Education Center designed by Glavé & Holmes Architecture.
once upon a time
The Virginia War Memorial, commissioned in 1950 by the General Assembly of Virginia and built in 1955 by Samuel J. Collins and Richard E. Collins, commemorates and honors Virginians who have lost their lives in all wars while serving the United States. The highest point of the Memorial, placed at hilltop - the Shrine of Memory- is an elegant an open-air structure The Shrine, open both on the south and north ends, is enclosed by a white marble wall on the western side. The eastern side, comprised of thirteen regularly spaced columns interspersed with glass panels, is etched with the names of more than 11,000 military members killed in war since 1950. Near the south end stands a 23-foot tall white marble statue named Memory. The statue’s pedestal also supports the Torch of Liberty, an eternal flame in a shallow metal bowl, and rises from a V-shaped reflecting pool that extends beyond the flat roofline of the structure towards the Flag Court. The adjacent and distant landscapes are visible through the glass wall and from the southern point of prospect. The ground plane is paved with finely dressed ashlar masonry blocks.
In 2010, Glavé and Holmes Architecture designed the 17,300-square-foot Education Center north of the shrine of the Virginia War Memorial. Complementary to the architecture, Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects designed the E. Bruce Heilman Amphitheatre, sited within the L-shaped open space formed by the Shrine of Memory and the Education Center. The landscape for this 4.3-acre site was designed to better “accommodate public events and visitors, increase educational resources, and create places for memorializing future casualties of war”. The space is comprised of a 250-person amphitheater descending semi-circles with stone seats, stone pathways, and native grass plantings. The selection of paving, seating, as well as the plant materials is a vivid extension of the elegance of the Shrine, in a landscape form.
Taking advantage of sweeping views of the James River and the Historic District of downtown Richmond, NBW designed an amphitheater that nestles into the hillside below the Memorial and seats 250 people. A rain garden surrounds the stage platform and captures runoff and rainfall at the low point of the site. The plant palette is predominantly comprised of native groundcovers, shrubs, trees, and grasses. Furthermore, this design has worked with the grassy slope of the sites to create the amphitheater, while taking advantage of the natural views to the James River and downtown Richmond, creating a truly unique experience for the visitor.
As one makes her way down to the landscape, it is impossible but to notice the elegance, harmony, and simple yet strong amphitheater which is an ode and extended complement of the marble Shrine sitting directly atop. The ornamental grasses surrounding the main stairway into the theater create the softness against the hardscape, yet again repeated at the surrounds of the main stage.
The stone steps and seats perfectly complement the Shrine when looking back.
The ornamental grasses complement the elegance of the Shrine, as they surround the main stage. Their combination with the evergreen shrubs not only adds texture to the space, but also adds an element of softness to the Memorial, creating an unforgettable image.
The different stone seats separated from the steps both in color and material, creates for a subtle suggestion of where to stay and where to walk. The width of the seats are generous to complement the Shrine once again, and the softness of the grass adds to the elegance of the particular space ever so slightly.
The strip of river rocks at the beginning of the amphitheater is not only a beautiful detail and transition to new material in the landscape, but also a functional and smart stormwater management element to capture excess water from the steep hills aside the main staircase leading from the Shrine and into the landscape.
The Shrine
Image C/O www.virginia.org
Sources:
https://tclf.org/landscapes/virginia-war-memorial?destination=search-results
http://www.nbwla.com/projects/park/virginia-war-memorial
** All photos by author unless otherwise noted.