George Herman Otten (June 21, 1889 – March 26, 1978) was a

landscape architect A landscape architect is a person who is educated in the field of landscape architecture. The practice of landscape architecture includes: site analysis, site inventory, site planning, land planning, planting design, grading, storm water manageme ...

who worked primarily in the U.S. state of

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

. Born and raised in Oregon, he served in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

before later working for the

Oregon State Highway Department The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) is a department of the state government of the U.S. state of Oregon responsible for systems of transportation. It was first established in 1969. It had been preceded by the Oregon State Highway Depart ...

where he worked on projects such as the design of the

Oregon State Capitol The Oregon State Capitol is the building housing the state legislature and the offices of the governor, secretary of state, and treasurer of the U.S. state of Oregon. It is located in the state capitol, Salem. Constructed from 1936 to 1938 ...

's mall.

Early life

He was born in

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...

, where his father was a landscape gardener and florist. In 1911, Otten graduated from the

University of Oregon The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a public research university in Eugene, Oregon. Founded in 1876, the institution is well known for its strong ties to the sports apparel and marketing firm Nike, Inc, and its co-founder, billion ...

and moved to New York to work for

Ferruccio Vitale Ferruccio Vitale (1875-1933) was a landscape architect. Born in Italy, he became a United States citizen in 1921. The historian Terry R. Schnadelbach considered him to be "America's forgotten landscape architect." Life Vitale was born in Floren ...

. Vitale's composition was often characterized by unifying lines, colors, and textures in an intimate, secluded landscape. In 1915,

Frederick Law Olmsted Jr. Frederick Law Olmsted Jr. (July 24, 1870 – December 25, 1957) was an American landscape architect and city planner known for his wildlife conservation efforts. He had a lifetime commitment to national parks, and worked on projects in Acadia, t ...

approached Vitale with a plan to encourage landscape architects in the United States to study in Europe. At about the same time, Vitale formed a partnership, Vitale and Fowler, with a former apprentice. But Otten did not remain with Vitale's new firm. He graduated with a master's degree from

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

in 1915. He was in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

from December 1917 to August 1919 and was a private with Company M, 23rd Engineer Battalion. He served during

and studied at the University of Montpellier in 1919. He then returned to Portland and continued his work in landscape architecture.

Career

Otten served as the landscape engineer for the

from 1935 to 1942, and during that time he completed the landscape plan for the Oregon State Capitol mall. Other projects included Portland's Swan Island Airport, White Shield Home, the site location for Timberline Lodge on Mount Hood, Temple Beth Israel in Portland,

Canyon Road Canyon Road (formerly known as Great Plank Road) is a major road and partial state highway, which serves as a connector between Beaverton and Portland, Oregon, United States. It was the first major road constructed between the Tualatin Valle ...

's entrance into Portland, and the Columbia River Highway's (now Interstate 84) new alignment through the Columbia River Gorge. He also designed the landscaping on a variety of private homes including Aaron Frank, Harry Grelin, A. E. Otis, and Carl G. Washburne. Otten also was involved with designs at several golf courses such as Alderwood Country Club, Ralph Lloyd's Golf Course (replaced by the

Banfield Freeway Interstate 84 (I-84) in the U.S. state of Oregon is a major Interstate Highway that traverses the state from west to east. It is concurrency (road), concurrent with U.S. Route 30 in Oregon, U.S. Route 30 (US 30) for most of its length and ...

), and the Rose City Golf Course in Portland. Otten died on March 26, 1978, at the age of 88 in

Beaverton, Oregon Beaverton is a city in Washington County, in the U.S. state of Oregon with a small portion bordering Portland in the Tualatin Valley. The city is among the main cities that make up the Portland metropolitan area. Its population was 97,494 at the ...

, at a retirement home.

References

External links

Otten Landscape Architects
{{DEFAULTSORT:Otten, George H. 1889 births 1978 deaths American landscape architects University of Oregon alumni Columbia University alumni Architects from Portland, Oregon United States Army soldiers University of Montpellier alumni United States Army personnel of World War I