Bargmann is transforming an abandoned coal mine into a welcoming public space
Seeing Beauty In Ugly Places
By DANIEL LEVY
Julie Bargmann sees beauty in land littered with mine refuse and scarred by acid-laced waters. At an abandoned coal mine in Vitondale, Pa., she is creating what she has dubbed a "regenerative park" to capture the horror and the beauty of its industrial legacy. "New parks aren't all that different from the tradition of (Frederick Law) Olmsted parks," says Bargmann, 42, referring to the architect of New York City's Central Park. "Olmsted was actually constructing places that were part of urban life. Our culture is now one of postindustry. Parks need to express that aspect of our culture."
Growing up in the Garden State, Bargmann developed an affinity for befouled terrain during drives past the industrial dumps in New Jersey's Meadowlands. After studying landscape architecture at Harvard, Bargmann, who lives and teaches in Charlottesville, Va., became one of the rare yet growing number of landscape architects interested in doing more than just covering up abandoned sites by turning them into golf courses.
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Take a closer look at Julie Bargmann's "Testing the Waters" park in Vitondale, Penn. |
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Name: Julie Bargmann Age: 42 Why critics are taking note: This landscape architect restores industrial sites, revealing their sublime beauty |
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Listen to excerpts from TIME reporter Daniel Levy's interview with Julie Bargmann. |
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