LSU Landscape Architecture Professor Chester Glenn Allen Passes Away at 60

BATON ROUGE – Chester Glenn Allen, a landscape architect and professor who held the Marie M. Bickham Chair in the LSU College of Art & Design’s Robert Reich School of Landscape Architecture, died July 30 in Baton Rouge after suffering a heart attack. He was 60.

A Memphis native, Allen joined the Reich School faculty in 2009, where he served as a professor as well as graduate coordinator, teaching design studio classes and seminars on design at various levels. He was also an alumnus of LSU, having obtained his Master of Landscape Architecture degree from the university in 1977. He received his bachelor’s degree in landscape architecture from the University of Virginia in 1973.

Allen was an internationally respected designer, first with the SWA Group in Sausalito, Calif., and then for many years with Hargreaves Associates in New York City before joining the Reich School faculty. His most recent accomplishment was overseeing the design and construction of the Olympic site in London, where he was principal-in-charge for Hargreaves’ London office.

Allen had more than 30 years of experience at large scale, complex landscape architecture projects, including the William J. Clinton Presidential Center in Little Rock, Ark.; the Shaw Center for the Arts in Baton Rouge; and the Chattanooga Waterfront in Tennessee. In addition to these projects, he continued to lead the Louisville Waterfront Park Phase III and the University of Cincinnati UC/21 Master Plan. Allen was also principal-in-charge for such award-winning projects as the 2000 Sydney Olympics site and Parque do Tejo e Trancao in Portugal. He also lectured at various events and served as a visiting juror at schools worldwide.

“Students appreciated his complete and total dedication to quality design and his enthusiasm for designing complex public environments,” Van Cox, professor and interim director of the Reich School, said of Allen. “While Glenn is better known for his professional project designs, his teaching proved his willingness to share those experiences with students at any time. The students respected those years of professional activity, and sought career advice as well as design criticism.”

Information regarding services was not available as of Aug.12, but Cox said that Reich School officials have been in contact with Allen’s family and will release the information when plans are finalized.

A memorial scholarship has been established in Allen’s name through the College of Art & Design and the LSU Foundation. Those wishing to contribute can make checks payable to the LSU Foundation (memo line: Glenn Allen Memorial Scholarship) and send to the LSU Foundation, c/o Michael D. Robinson, College of Art & Design, 102 Design Building, Baton Rouge, LA 70803.

“The memorial scholarship fund is a fitting way to honor the life and contributions of one of our outstanding alumni who contributed much to the world through his landscape designs,” Cox said.