Episode 62: Ruth Shellhorn
Ruth Patricia Shellhorn was born on September 21, 1909 in Los Angeles, CA. She grew up in Pasadena near Florence Yoch, a well-known female landscape architect, who inspired Ruth to go into the profession. She attended Oregon State University’s School of Landscape Architecture for a few years before transferring to Cornell University’s College of Architecture. During her last year of school, Ruth unfortunately couldn’t afford to keep attending Cornell and left with only 4 credits left to graduate. Back in California she managed to get a few small jobs and start her own Landscape Architecture firm. In 1940, Ruth married Harry Kueser, a banker. He was very supportive of her career and eventually quit his banking job to help her run her firm. During WWII, jobs were scarce, but Ruth was hired to work on the Shoreline Development Study along 11 miles of coastline in Southern California. She met the architect Welton Beckett on this project who would refer her for several jobs later, including Bullock’s, a department store in Pasadena. She worked on nine different Bullock’s stores. In 1955, Ruth got a call from a man who asked her to come work on his amusement park, which was due to open in four months. She turned it down initially, but he convinced her to at least come see the project and meet with him. The man was Walt Disney, and he was so enthusiastic that Ruth agreed to help work on Disneyland in the final months before it opened. She was instrumental in designing the pedestrian pathways to connect the disparate areas of the park and make them feel cohesive to the visitor. In 1956, Ruth was hired as the Supervising and Executive Landscape Architect for the new UC Riverside campus. She was also the Executive Landscape Architect for schools such as Malborough School for Girls, El Camino College, and Harvard-Westlake School. In 1990, after 57 years of work, Ruth retired. In 2005, Cornell was reviewing their records and realized that Ruth had not only completed enough credits to graduate, but she had enough credits for two degrees. So in June 2005 she received a Bachelors of Landscape Architecture and a Bachelor of Architecture. In 2006, Ruth passed away at 97 years old.
Caryatid: Barbara Bouza
Barbara Bouza is an architect and the new president of Walt Disney Imagineering. She has a Bachelors of Architecture from Cal Poly Pomona, and did her graduate studies at the AA in London. She has worked at many firms over the years: Foster + Partners, RBB, Morphosis, and Gensler LA where she eventually became the co-managing director and principal. Barbara has always been a big promoter of well-being, and that was one of the reasons that Disney reached out to her, so she and the Imagineers are exploring ways to allow guests to decompress or experience a less stimulating environment, while maintaining Disney quality and storytelling in the space. The mental wellbeing initiatives stretch beyond the parks to include the Imagineers themselves. Barbara said about her colleagues “An area that I want to focus on is how we can support each other better,” “We’re in this for the long haul, and we’re creating this environment where wellbeing and health are at the center of everything everybody does.”
References
Comras, Kelly. “Ruth Shellhorn.” The Cultural Landscape Foundation, www.tclf.org/pioneer/ruth-shellhorn. Accessed 8 Sept. 2022.
Johnson, Melanie. “Career by Design, Architect Barbara Bouza’s Career Does Not Include Glass Ceilings.” CalPoly Pomona, www.cpp.edu/cppmag/building-a-better-california/career-by-design.shtml. Accessed 28 Oct. 2022.
Kleiman, Joe. “Barbara Bouza Leads Imagineering Into New Frontiers.” InPark Magazine, 20 Jan. 2022, www.inparkmagazine.com/barbara-bouza-leads-imagineering-into-new-frontiers.
Library of American Landscape History and Florentine Films/Hott Productions, Inc. “Ruth Shellhorn, Midcentury Landscape Design in Southern California.” Library of American Landscape History | LALH, 16 Feb. 2021, lalh.org/films/ruth-shellhorn-midcentury-landscape-design-in-southern-california.
Noland, Claire. “Ruth Shellhorn, 97; Landscape Architect for Bullock’s, Disneyland.” Los Angeles Times, 12 Nov. 2006, www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2006-nov-12-me-shellhorn12-story.html.
Nolte, Jolene. “Women of Disney: The Integral Landscape Design of Ruth Shellhorn.” Atomic Ranch, 6 June 2017, www.atomic-ranch.com/interior-design/designers-craftsmen/women-of-disney-ruth-shellhorns-integral-landscape-design.
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