The 2013 HALS Challenge Winners

Gaiety Hollow. Center of Parterre Garden with the Arbor in the background. image: Laurie Matthews, 2010 — Gaiety Hollow. Center of Parterre Garden with the Arbor in the background.
image: Laurie Matthews, 2010

Congratulations to the 2013 HALS Challenge Winners!

The results of the 4th annual HALS Challenge, Documenting the Cultural Landscapes of Women, were announced at the HALS Subcommittee and Chapter Liaisons Meeting during the ASLA Annual Meeting and Expo in Boston on Saturday, November 16, 2013. Sponsored by the National Park Service, cash prizes were awarded to the top 3 submissions. This challenge resulted in the donation of 30 impressive HALS short format historical reports and 2 HALS drawing sets to the HALS collection!

1st Place: Gaiety Hollow HALS OR-5, Salem, OR
by Laurie Matthews
2nd Place: The Arizona Inn HALS AZ-9, Tucson, AZ
by Gina Chorover, Jennifer Levstik, and Helen Erickson with University of Arizona Student Researchers: Jae Anderson, Crystal Cheek, and Ryan Sasso
3rd Place: Gypsy Camp for Girls, HALS AR-5, Siloam Springs, AR
by Benjamin Stinnett and Kimball Erdman

The Statesman Journal of Salem, Oregon recently published an article about the 1st Place HALS Challenge entry, Gaiety Hollow, which can be read online.

The Arizona Inn. Facing southeast, irregular flagstone walkway leading to fountain. image: Helen Erickson, 2013 — The Arizona Inn. Facing southeast, irregular flagstone walkway leading to fountain.
image: Helen Erickson, 2013

The other 27 wonderful short form history entries for 2013 included:

Anne Spencer Garden – Lynchburg, VA
Arden – Modjeska, CA
Chatham Manor – Fredericksburg, VA
The Ebell of Los Angeles – Los Angeles, CA
Elmshaven – St. Helena, CA
Faraway Ranch – Wilcox, AZ
Four Seasons Garden* – Indianapolis, IN
Gaiety Hollow – Salem, OR (1 of 2 for this site)
Grandma Prisbrey’s Bottle Village – Simi Valley, CA
Hills and Dales – La Grange, GA
Hopewell Furnace – Elverson, PA
Lanie Fleischer Chester Creek Trail – Anchorage, AK
Library Park – Orland, CA
Marian Anderson Heritage Village – Philadelphia, PA
Mary Washington Monument – Fredericksburg, VA
The Mildred E. Mathias Botanical Garden – Los Angeles, CA
Northern Rio Grande National Heritage Area – Santa Fe, Rio Arriba, and Taos Counties, NM
Northfield Campus – Northfield, MA
Pabst Addition At Summit Cemetery – Waukesha County, WI
Pond Farm Pottery – Guerneville, CA; Rancho del Oso, Davenport, CA
Restored State House of 1676 – St. Mary’s City, MD
Richards DAR House Museum – Mobile, AL
Stenton – Philadelphia, PA
The Mr. and Mrs. William W. Wessinger Garden – Portland, OR
Wiawaka Holiday House – Lake George, NY
Wildflower Woods* – Rome City, IN

*Includes a drawing set

2nd Place Photo. Chris Stevens, ASLA and HALS Landscape Architect, presents the 2nd Place certificate to Gina Chorover and Helen Erickson, on behalf of their The Arizona Inn HALS AZ-9 HALS short format historical report. Chorover and Erickson also represented Jennifer Levstik, who was not present. image: Deborah Steinberg — HALS Landscape Architect Chris Stevens, ASLA, presents the 2nd place certificate to Gina Chorover and Helen Erickson for their Arizona Inn HALS AZ-9 short format historical report. Chorover and Erickson also represented Jennifer Levstik, who was not present.
image: Deborah Steinberg

Thank you to everyone that participated! Each of these wonderful reports will be transmitted to the Library of Congress based on their region of the country:

Northeast – December 15, 2013
Midwest and Intermountain – March 15, 2014
Pacific West and Alaska – June 15, 2014
Southeast – September 15, 2014

It will then take the Library up to 6 months to upload the digital files and make them available to the public online.

The Gypsy Camp for Girls is surrounded by a dramatic natural landscape. The property has nearly 150 feet of elevation change from its highest to lowest point. The camp buildings are nestled in a narrow ravine adjacent to the Illinois River valley. image: Ben Stinnett, 2011 — The Gypsy Camp for Girls is surrounded by a dramatic natural landscape. The property has nearly 150 feet of elevation change from its highest to lowest point. The camp buildings are nestled in a narrow ravine adjacent to the Illinois River valley.
image: Ben Stinnett, 2011

The Historic American Landscapes Survey (HALS) was created in 2000 as a federal program to document historic landscapes in the United States and its territories. Documentation is critical to preserving these significant sites for the benefit of future generations. Like its companion programs, the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) and the Historic American Engineering Record (HAER), HALS produces written and graphic records used by educators, land managers, and preservation planners as well as the general public. The National Park Service (NPS) administers the planning and operation of HALS, standardizes formats and develops guidelines for recording landscapes, and catalogs and/or publishes the information when appropriate. The American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) provides professional guidance and technical advice for the program through its Historic Preservation Professional Practice Network. The Library of Congress (LOC) accepts and preserves HALS documents, furnishes reproductions of material, and makes records available to the public.

The HALS office is continuing the challenge again in 2014 with a new theme, Documenting Landscapes of the New Deal. Short format histories should be submitted to HALS at the NPS no later than July 31, 2014 (c/o Chris Stevens, 202-354-2146, Chris_Stevens@nps.gov). Sponsored by HALS, cash prizes will again be awarded to the top three submissions. Results will be announced at the Denver 2014 ASLA Annual Meeting and Expo during the HALS Meeting. More information on past HALS Challenges and winners can be found on ASLA’s website.

Good luck and thank you for helping to preserve American landscapes!

by Chris Stevens, Landscape Architect and Past Chair of the Historic Preservation PPN