BSLA Fieldbook BSLA 2013 Fall Fieldbook | Page 105

Naumkeag

Gropius House in Lincoln, are well known and protected, but many others
are not. Some of these landscapes are considered just an ordinary part of
our life even if they have National Register or National Historic Landmark
status. With the current fiscal crisis and ever changing demands for usage
our public lands and particularly parks are constantly facing new pressures
to have schools, libraries, maintenance facilities, or even office space for
city employees inserted into them. HALS documentation is needed for
preservation and adaptive reuse and to ensure a lasting record and images
of the landscape so its historic context will endure.

Recording Our Past - Today
The National Park Service established HALS in 2000 to document landscapes
that serve as tangible evidence of our nation’s heritage and development.
In general, the program achieves this purpose through written descriptions,
measured drawings, and photographs. In addition to chronicling significant
and increasingly at-risk landscapes for future generations, HALS provides a
wide range of practical uses today.

American Society of Landscape Architects
Today, nationally significant landscapes are disappearing or are being
altered at a rate that far exceeds the capabilities of the existing program
to respond. Without additional resources, HALS cannot provide technical
or financial assistance to local groups, ASLA state chapters, and historical
associations who are interested in developing and completing projects in or
near their communities. For more information about historic landscapes in
the Commonwealth of Massachusetts or the HALS program, please contact:
Marion Pressley

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