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2004 Metro Magazine profile.

RICHARD (DICK) BELL, FASLA, FAAR (1928-)

By Danielle Carr

Born and raised by two generations of gardeners in Manteo NC, Dick Bell first came to Raleigh to attend NCSU studying landscape architecture.  As a student, he assisted with the actual master plan of the University. He graduated in 1950 and, at age 21, was the youngest person ever to receive the prestigious Rome Prize Fellowship for study at the American Academy in Rome for two years.  He apprenticed under Simonds & Simonds in Pittsburgh PA and Fred Stressau in Fort Lauderdale FL before returning to Raleigh to start his practice.  Over 50 years, he designed many important area projects, including:

Pullen Park, Raleigh
Figure Eight Island, near Wilmington
Stone Mountain GA Master Plan
Pilot Mountain NC Master Plan
NCSU "Brickyard" and Sculpture Garden at NCSU
NC Legislative Building Grounds
Meredith College Amphitheatre
Peace College Master Plan
NC Mutual Plaza
Shearon Harris Nuclear Plant
Falls Lake Master Plan
St. Mary's College Soccer Field and Serpentine Fence
Appalachian State University Master Plan
Painter Blvd (Greensboro)
1964 Highway Beautification (I-95 between Wilson & Fayetteville)
1962 Southeastern Flower & Garden Show at Dorton Arena

Bell did landscape design on several Modernist houses, including:

The Kistler-Hollstein House, Fayetteville, designed by Dan MacMillan
The Gerald Bell house, Chapel Hill, designed by Sumner Winn
The Joe Rowand Residence, Hillsborough, designed by Phil Szostak
The Frank Anderson House, Raleigh, designed by Milton Small
The Doug Fleet House, Figure Eight Island, designed by Oxenfeld and Newkirk
The Joan and Bob Allen House, Fayetteville, designed by Mason Hicks

Bell was the first recipient of the Award for Distinguished Professional Achievement from the NC Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects and a recipient of the Sir Walter Raleigh Award for Community Appearance in 2000.  In the 1970's, Bell served as president of the North Carolina Land Use Congress, as a member of the Raleigh-Wake Land Use Code Committee, as a member of the Wake County Planning Board, and as a member of the NCTask Force for Environmental Education.   He lives in Atlantic Beach NC and continues his landscape practice.  His book is The Bridge Builders. 

  

NCSU Brickyard, Raleigh.               Meredith College, Raleigh.

Pullen Park, Raleigh.

He began building the Water Garden, one of Raleigh's first mixed-use developments, on 11 acres in 1955.  At a time when "environmentally sensitive" was rarely mentioned, Bell created a place to live and work.  From here grew one of the most substantial practices of landscape architecture in North Carolina. He also used the Water Garden as a living example of his belief that buildings should tread lightly upon the land and exist in harmony with the natural terrain and natural resources. Tucked among the stately hardwoods and pines, nestled with, rather than against, the landscape's natural grade and carefully preserved wetlands, Water Garden's contemporary buildings have always been completely at ease in their environment.  Unable to maintain the buildings, Bell sold the property in 2007 to Nick Francis and Matt Somner, who plan to redevelop it into a senior active residential community. 

Raleigh native Danielle Carr is a student in anthropology and design at NC State University. She wrote a recent article on Bell and the Water Garden for the blog Goodnight Raleigh.