Design Notebook: Nov. 1999

The Benaroya Hall, home of the world-renowned Seattle Symphony, is the site of the Garden of Remembrance. Located in the heart of downtown Seattle on the entire block bounded by Second and Third avenues, the memorial garden, constructed by Northwestern Landscape Co., Puyallup, Wash., honors more than 8,000 Washington State veterans who lost their lives defending the nation’s freedom.

DESIGN CHALLENGES. Construction of the garden was especially complex. The entire garden was built on top of a garage deck with a train tunnel running underneath a portion of it. Planting the garden required boom trucks, but steep slopes made it difficult and dangerous for them to operate.

Other project challenges included a very tight and congested downtown worksite and working around multiple trades, raised planters and underground cavities – some as deep at 10 feet.

DESIGN SOLUTIONS. Congested worksites meant we had to work early hours, move materials with wheelbarrows, close down street lanes, cover sidewalks and paver areas with tarps and plywood and work on normally inaccessible areas.

Large underground cavities were needed for future root growth on large trees. Soil was lowered into 10 foot deep cavities with an extended forklift, then hand-shoveled up to 12 feet underground and hand-compacted to fill voids before planting.

Shoring on steep San Francisco-like slopes was necessary to install plant material. Blocking was done by stacking large railroad tie timbers on the low side of the slope. Soil was placed on top of the timbers so tractors and cranes could drive on a level surface to prevent accidents during installation.

A 40 foot tall red oak with an 8-inch root ball weighing more than 5 tons was planted using more than 60 cubic yards of topsoil in its planting cavity. Large bolts and rods were placed through the root ball to create a pivot to set the large tree. The tree, which had a 13-inch diameter trunk, was lifted with a crane and turned in the proper planting position. The planting of the tree was scheduled for installation moments before an Independence Day celebration and the veterans dedication at the Garden of Remembrance. During the dedication, veterans placed medals of honor, dog tags and even a Purple Heart in the oak tree’s planting cavity. A crew of eight people was ready to set the tree during the city planting ceremony. All underground staking was set in place prior to planting. When the tree was placed in the ground it was able to be unhooked from the crane within minutes due to the detailed coordination.

THE RESULT. The garden is now a welcome and comfortable natural setting to visit and enjoy. Large specimen shrubs, tightly spaced groundcover and specimen trees instantly created the feel and look of a beautifully established planting.

Northwestern Landscape Co. received the Associated Landscape Contractors of America Exterior Judges Award for outstanding work on the Benaroya Hall Garden of Remembrance project this past year. – Lisa Gonner and Geoffrey Bartels

The authors are in sales and marketing at Northwestern Landscape Co., Puyallup, Wash.