Murase Lives On

Last year legendary local landscape architect Robert Murase passed away suddenly after a heart attack. With a preternatural gift for poetic natural designs of rock, wood and other natural materials, Murase and his eponymous Portland firm were responsible for a host of noteworthy designs: the Japanese American Historical Plaza at Waterfront Park; the Garden of Remembrance in downtown Seattle, the Nike World Headquarters, the Benaroya Hall Garden of Remembrance, also in Seattle; the Sumitomo Museum in Kyoto, Japan; and, more recently, Esther Short Park in Vancouver.

"The positioning of stone in the landscape is an ancient and sacred tradition and has always interested me," Murase has said, "from the stone walls and megaliths in Europe - to stone gardens in Japan."

But Murase's firm is still working. This summer saw the opening of Town Center Park in Wilsonville, with an interactive water feature made from beautifully poured concrete. The firm involved community members in the design significantly to create a multi-functional space, but it's also got the simple elegant beauty of Murase's work. A portion of the park has been named for Robert Murase: Murase Plaza at Memorial Park, which is also connected to the superbly landscaped Wilsonville Water Treatment Plant.

Meanwhile the firm has continued to craft quality design work through the efforts of Robert's son Scott Murase and his team. Most notably, Murase Associates designed the Sliver Park on the north facade of the renovated Armory/Gerding Theaters. A water feature collects rainwater from an underground cistern an runs it artfully along the side of the building into a bioswale. There is also a wooden boardwalk wrapping the buillding, which adds texture to the site of this old stone monolith while minimizing the use of non-permeable concrete for the sidewalk.

It must have been tough for Robert Murase's family and staff to continue on after his passing, but there is reason to believe the future remains bright for the firm.

Comments

[Curt Kipp]

Actually, Bob Murase designed three separate parks in Wilsonville.

1) Town Center Park, which opened in 1999 and was fully completed with the water feature and picnic shelters in 2005. Bob spoke at the dedication last summer, just weeks before he passed away.

2) Water Treatment Plant Park, opened in 2002 when the water plant started operations.

3) Murase Plaza, a portion of Memorial Park which opened this summer and which contains yet another water feature along with a community garden, playground and other features. Bob's son Scott spoke at the dedication this past summer.

Curt

[brad]

I went to look at the sliver park on the north side of the Gerding Armory building but none of the design had begun.

The description of a water feature collecting rainwater and running "it artfully along the side of the building into a bioswale," sounds interesting but it would be nice to see an image.

The effort on landscape design for the exterior of the building shows a greater appreciation of the all people not just the ones going inside to see shows.

[Aneeda]

Actually, there is no boardwalk at the Sliver Park, nor does the water from the water feature drain into the bioswale. The water feature is a recirculation feature that uses potable water. Murase should do a better job getting their facts straight, especially when they provide them to you for a self-promotional article.