Landscape Architect Articles

From Tragic Loss Springs Great Effort02-27-18 | Department

From Tragic Loss Springs Great Effort
Catherine Violet Hubbard Animal Sanctuary

By Alli Rael, LASN

The Catherine Violet Hubbard Animal Sanctuary has been worked on entirely by volunteers in remembrance of six-year-old Catherine Violet Hubbard, one of the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in 2012. The site plan was a collaborative effort between Eric Rains Landscape Architecture, P|H Architects, and CCA Engineers. The project currently has site plan approval, with the goal of starting construction this summer.

After their daughter Catherine was tragically killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, in 2012, the Hubbard family asked that donations be sent to the local animal shelter, not knowing that the shelter consisted of two local women volunteering out of their own homes. As donations poured in, the Catherine Violet Hubbard Foundation was born.

In 2014, Daniel P. Malloy, the governor of Connecticut, gifted the land – "I think it's 25 acres," says landscape architect Eric Rains – to build the Catherine Violet Hubbard Animal Sanctuary, a new, no-kill facility to be a haven for abused, neglected or abandoned animals in need of healing support.

"The architects reached out to us after they had already volunteered their time," Rains says. "They said here's the background, and if you're interested then we would ask you to donate your time like we are, and use it to help the family who formed the foundation."

The entire team for the project – P|H Architects, Eric Rains Landscape Architecture, CCA Engineers, Secor, Cassidy & McPartland, and others – are volunteers.

At this point, the equestrian barn has been stabilized and the community garden has been built. They hope to break ground on the first phase, which consists of the main and veterinary buildings, in summer of 2018, with completion in spring 2019. "Phase one is the largest portion of construction," Rains says. "Once they get through that, they've crossed a big hurdle."

As seen in LASN magazine, February 2018, Stewardship.

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If you have a project where landscape architectural design services were provided pro bono, you can submit your Stewardship proposal to: stewardship@landscapearchitect.com.