The Leo Baeck Temple Memorial Garden began as a vision of the temple community to create a space that honors the memories of their loved ones. Laying at the base of hillsides of the Seulveda pass, the garden itself was designed to be an elegant foundation for the purpose of the garden itself, the memorial block walls that enclose the eastern and southern walls of the space.

Over 1,200 custom designed and cast memorial blocks surround the garden space. Framed by columns veneered with engineered stone, the design of the block was developed in collaboration with the Temple leadership after
several off the shelf options were considered. Each block contains an open void space and a solid portion which allows for the installation of a brass plaque containing the family member's name and dates of birth and death in
both English and Hebrew. Visitors of the garden are invited to leave a stone or other small item within the opening of each block as a gesture of their remembrance of their loved ones.

 
Designed to integrate with the hillside, earthtones were used in all of the concrete within the garden and the wall bases and paving were sandblasted to provide a more natural appearance. At the entrance to the garden is a tiled
weir fountain wall. The colors and designed were meant to mimic the hillsides and the night sky.

The Leo Baeck Temple memorial garden included several hardscape elements including custom designed and canst concrete memorial blocks, cast in place integral color sandblasted retaining walls, integrally colored concrete
walkways balanced with decomposed granite gathering spaces, gabion retaining walls, manufactured stone veneer on columns, rock mulch, and tiled weir fountain accented by smoke colored glass pebbles.

Landscape Architect and Construction Manager: Greg Zoll, Urban Ecosystem
Solutions,

Contractor: Tyler Leidenfrost BD Landscape, Menifee California

The upcoming Hardscapes Issue of Landscape Architect and Specifier News saw many firms submit their projects for feature consideration. This project was not chosen for a Feature in the issue, but we at LandscapeArchitect.com thought the project deserved to be showcased online . . .

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