Northern California Chapter of the Historic American Landscapes Survey (HALS)

We promote the documentation, preservation, and enjoyment of historic landscapes in California.

OPPORTUNITIES

2026 HALS Challenge: A Call to Action

A Call to Action

This is America at 250: Let’s Celebrate the Plurality of Our American Heritage.

For the past 16 years, ASLA has collaborated with the National Park Service to host the Historic American Landscapes Survey (HALS) Challenge, a competition to document historic landscapes that tell the stories of our nation. In ordinary times, we would be jointly promoting the 17th annual HALS Challenge, but these are extraordinary times. As such, ASLA is now calling on its members, students, historians, and other practitioners to submit documentation of historic landscapes in our communities.

This is an open call to complete a historical report that highlights the history, significance, and character-defining features of a selected landscape. In recognition of the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States, we are encouraging reports that broadly address the theme of landscapes of liberty and freedom. All completed reports received by August 31st will be recognized at the ASLA Conference on Landscape Architecture in September. Please notify the HALS Liaison if you’re working on a report to ensure no duplication of efforts, or contact her if you have questions about the process.

Learn More + Participate

HALS MISSION

“The Historic American Landscapes Survey (HALS) mission is to record historic landscapes in the United States and its territories through measured drawings and interpretive drawings, written histories, and large-format black and white photographs and color photographs. The National Park Service oversees the daily operation of HALS and formulates policies, sets standards, and drafts procedural guidelines in consultation with the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA). The ASLA provides professional guidance and technical advice through their Historic Preservation Professional Practice Network. The Prints & Photographs Division of the Library of Congress preserves the documentation for posterity and makes it available to the general public.”

National Park Service, National Park Service

Landscapes

Searchable inventory list of documented sites and potential candidates for HALS documentation in northern California. Search by name, city, county, and other criteria. Compiled by volunteers.

Landscapes Page

Resources

Important resources for HALS documentation, relevant government agencies, corresponding non-profit organizations, and other HALS chapters.

Resources Page

IN MEMORY OF CATE BAINTON

Cate Bainton was a huge contributor to HALS Northern California and a major component of what you still see now on these pages. Not only did she volunteer to create and maintain the chapter’s website (which has since been archived and integrated into this one), she created and organized the HALS documentation spreadsheet. When we first began, she received the list of site names and then researched everything that would be needed and entered it into a spreadsheet, providing the name, location, owner and a short description of the site with year of construction and notes about the designer. For the past 17 years she had maintained this spreadsheet and added HALS numbers as documentation when completed.

Cate Bainton Tribute & Bio

CONTACT US:

ANDREA GAFFNEY
hals@asla-ncc.org

The HALS group has approximately 100 members including arborists, community activists, cultural landscape enthusiasts, landscape architects, landscape historians, students, and writers. Please contact us if you are interested in getting involved with HALS.