Making a Landscape of Continuity

The landscape architecture firm of Innocenti & Webel, founded in 1931, has been building landscapes for over sixty years. This firm's work is founded not on a desire for formal invention or new design languages, but on traditional designs, seasoned practices, and the bonds established with long-term clients. It seeks value not from novelty but from predictability and permanence. Richard Webel and Umberto Innocenti first joined as partners after the firm they both worked for closed due to the Depression. Their early commissions were for the design of private Long Island estates, but within a few years they were also working on larger projects such as university and corporate campuses.

Making a Landscape of Continuity discusses in detail a handful of the projects executed by Innocenti & Webel, including the Readers Digest Headquarters, the University of South Carolina, and various private residences. Webel's son Richard Webel Jr., the current managing partner of the firm, contributes an essay on his father's practice; also included is an extensive chronology that traces the firm's work from its establishment to the present day. Exquisite color and duotone photographs provide visual proof of this firm's lasting legacy.