Royston, Robert R., 1918-

Biographical Note

Robert R. Royston (1918- ) began his career working weekends in the office of Thomas D. Church while he was a student in the landscape architecture program at the University of California, Berkeley. He continued to work for Church for two years following his graduation in 1940. However, after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Royston enlisted and served in the Pacific Theater during World War II. Reaching the rank of Navy 1st Lieutenant, Royston returned to civilian life in California in 1945. In a 1998 interview he remarked that, "the War gave you a chance to think" and "I used to go into my cabin on the ship and design jewelry, houses, and gardens -- it kept me sane."

Following his return to California Royston had to choose between returning to Church's office or joining his friend Garrett Eckbo, a fellow recent graduate in landscape architecture, in opening a new firm. Feeling that Church kept "replaying themes from the past," he joined with Eckbo and Ed Williams who "had more future-oriented designs." Eckbo, Royston and Williams (ERW) worked together in the bay area for nearly two years. In 1947 they opened two independent offices. Eckbo managed the Southern California office while Royston and Williams ran the Northern California office.

From 1947-1950 Royston also taught in the landscape program at UC Berkeley. His students included Francis Violich, Asa Hanamoto (who eventually became his partner), and Francis Dean (who later became a partner in Eckbo's firm). After his professorship at UC Berkeley ended in 1950, Royston continued to lecture at universities throughout the country.

In 1958 Royston separated from ERW and formed Royston, Hanamato & Mayes (RHM) with former student Asa Hanamoto and David R. Mayes. Over the next four decades, Royston's firm evolved through many changes in name and partnership. In 1962, Eldon Beck, who had joined the firm in 1958, became a partner and the firm was renamed Royston, Hanamato, Mayes & Beck (RHMB). In 1966, David Mayes left the firm to open his own practice, and the following year associate Kazuo Abey was made partner, changing the firm name once again, this time to Royston, Hanamato, Beck & Abey (RHBA). Eldon Beck left the firm in 1979 to pursue an academic career, making way for Louis G. Alley, who had joined the firm in 1960, to round out the current structure of Royston, Hanamato, Alley & Abey (RHAA). In 1998, Royston retired from active practice at RHAA.

Although his early work included many residences, Royston is best known for his public projects not only in the United States but also in Latin American and Asia. In addition to designing numerous governmental facilities and university campuses, Royston played an integral role in a number of city redevelopment projects. He was hired by the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency to create an overall landscape concept for the Western Addition, Hunters Point and Diamond Heights and worked congruently with private organizations such as the African Methodist Episcopal Church to plan and execute landscape design for Freedom West, a transitional housing community in San Francisco. Royston also served on the Housing and Urban Development Region VI Advisory Committee (1967).

Sources: Mann, William A. Landscape Architecture: An Illustrated History in Timelines, Site Plans, and Biography. New York: John Wiley & Sons, 1993. Lowell, Waverly. Interview with Robert Royston, 1998. Royston, Hanamoto, Alley & Abey. 38th Anniversary Poster, 1983.

From the guide to the Robert R. Royston collection, 1941-1990, 1946-1971, (Environmental Design Archives. College of Environmental Design.)