Vignolo, Richard A., 1927-

Biographical Note

Richard A. Vignolo, (1927- )

Richard A. Vignolo was born on August 24, 1927. Raised on a ranch in Stockton, his love of the landscape came from his childhood surroundings, and his grandfather's passion for plants; Vignolo, however, knew early on that he did not wish to be a farmer. He attended California's Stockton Junior College until 1945, and though he was briefly interested in studying architecture, he quickly found his love in landscape architecture. In 1946, he began studying landscape architecture at the University of California, Berkeley graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in Landscape Architecture in 1950. His professors included Robert Royston, Burt Litton, and Leland Vaughan. The summer following his graduation, Vignolo worked for the Berkeley Planning Commission.

In the fall of 1950, Vignolo continued his design education at Harvard's Graduate School of Design (GSD) earning his Master of Landscape Architecture degree in 1953. While in graduate school, he worked for Chamber & Moriece, a landscape architecture practice located in Cambridge, Massachusetts (1952-1953) as well as occasionally working part-time between 1951 and 1953 for San Francisco-based Lawrence Halprin & Associates.

Following graduation from the GSD, Vignolo was employed by the United States Army, 30th Engineers, Topographical Group in California and Alaska until 1955, when he became a full-time employee of Halprin's firm. In 1956, Vignolo received the Charles Eliot Traveling Fellowship from Harvard, the highest honor the GSD's Department of Landcape Architecture can award to a graduate from its program, which allowed him to travel throughout Europe.

Upon his return, he continued with Lawrence Halprin & Associates. While in the Halprin office, Vignolo was integral to many projects, including the detailing for Oakbrook, Illinois' Old Orchard Shopping Center; Akron, Ohio's Cascade Plaza; and Minneapolis, Minnesota's Nicollett Mall. Vignolo became as associate at the firm in 1957, and Design Principal and Vice President in 1964.

In October of 1972, Vignolo established his own practice Richard A. Vignolo, Landscape Architect. A registered landscape architect in California, Washington, and Texas, Vignolo provided a complete range of design services throughout the United States, including residential, commercial, governmental, educational, recreational, religious, and even funerary designs.

His more notable projects include the Loggia of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco; Dallas's North Park Shopping Center Expansion, Office Park, and National Bank; Fargo's Broadway Mall; San Francisco Zoo's Primate, Elk, and Wolf Exhibits; and Weyerhaeuser Headquarters' Executive Roof Garden in Tacoma, Washington. He built strong relationships with his architects and clients, often doing work for their personal homes in addition to their large commercial projects. In addition to working with them professionally, Vignolo acted as a design consultant for the residential landscapes of architects Edward Charles Bassett, Walter Wisznia, and John Vrtiak.

Sources:

Walker, Peter, and Melanie Simo, Invisible Gardens: The Search for Modernism in the American Landscape, MIT Press, 1996.

Curriculum Vitae

From the guide to the Inventory of the Richard A. Vignolo Collection, 1948-2003 (bulk 1973-2000), 1948-2003, (Environmental Design Archives. College of Environmental Design.)