Elliot Rhodeside Honored with Potomac Chapter American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) Lifetime Achievement Award

RHI is proud to announce that founding director Elliot Rhodeside, FASLA, has received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Potomac Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA). This prestigious recognition celebrates Elliot’s extraordinary contributions to the profession of landscape architecture and his decades-long commitment to creating meaningful, enduring landscapes that enrich communities and the environment.

More than 40 years ago, Elliot envisioned creating a multidisciplinary practice that would unite landscape architecture, planning, and urban design in a collaborative framework. Together with founding partners Deana Rhodeside, Ph.D, and Faye B. Harwell, FASLA, he transformed that vision into reality through the creation of Rhodeside & Harwell, Incorporated, a nationally respected firm known for its talented professionals, creative planning and design solutions, and inspirational work across local, national, and international projects.

Elliot’s path to landscape architecture was anything but conventional. Initially aspiring to become an architect, his interests evolved toward fine arts and industrial design while studying at the University of the Arts. A pivotal moment occurred during his senior year when he attended a professional practice lecture by renowned landscape architect and environmentalist, Ian McHarg. Inspired by McHarg’s vision of integrating ecology and design at all scales, Elliot redirected his education and career aspirations and pursued a Master of Landscape Architecture degree at the University of Pennsylvania.

While at Penn, Elliot participated in groundbreaking studios including the Delaware River Basin Study in 1968, an experience that helped shape his lifelong commitment to ecological planning, design, and environmental stewardship. The principles and lessons from that studio would influence his professional approach for the rest of his career. Maps and data from this studio were included in the recent Museum of Modern Art exhibition about the founding of the environmental movement of the 1960’s/70’s.

Building on the ecological movement that emerged during his graduate studies, Elliot contributed to several influential urban ecology and natural area conservation initiatives early in his career. Among them was the Boston Urban Wilds Program, undertaken from 1974-1977 through a National Endowment for the Arts grant, which identified and protected significant natural areas throughout the city and ultimately contributed to the protection and public access of more than 800 acres of environmentally significant land by the Boston Natural Area Fund and the City of Boston.

After more than a decade of professional experience in Philadelphia, London, Boston, and Washington, D.C., Elliot and his partners founded Rhodeside & Harwell, Incorporated in 1986. Drawing on their diverse landscape architecture and urban planning experiences and shared values, they established the firm around five guiding principles:

• Foster creativity, design, and planning and growth of the firm 
• Employ the best and brightest professionals
• Maintain a small, woman-owned business structure
• Plan, design, and build innovative solutions in landscape architecture, planning, and urban design
• Embrace a multidisciplinary, collaborative approach to all projects

Throughout his career, Elliot has been driven by the competing challenges presented by projects of every scale, from intimate gardens to regional planning initiatives. He has always been energized by complex projects at any scale involving multiple stakeholders and ambitious goals. Equally important has been his role in mentoring emerging professionals, cultivating creativity within the firm, and maintaining the highest standards of planning and design excellence.

Among the many accomplishments of his distinguished career, Elliot is especially proud of projects that have had lasting impacts on cities, communities, and institutions. These include projects at the University of Virginia, including accessibility improvements to the historic Lawn (2019); the extension of Charlottesville’s Downtown Mall along West Main Street (2021) to the University of Virginia; the Master Plan (1995) and Southern Expansion (present) of Arlington National Cemetery; Pier 3 revitalization for the National Aquarium in Baltimore (2026); the transformation of Washington, D.C.’s historic McMillan Sand Filtration Site into the vibrant Reservoir Park (2025); and the Smithsonian Institution’s National Native American Veterans Memorial (2021) in Washington, D.C. 

Beyond the projects themselves, Elliot’s legacy is reflected in the countless professional relationships, partnerships, and mentorships he has fostered throughout his career. Examples of his commitments include participation on the Baltimore Design Advisory Committee; a member of the McHarg Center for Urbanisim + Ecology Advisory Board; and Executive Committee of the Potomac Chapter ASLA. His leadership philosophy is grounded in principles that have guided both his professional success and personal growth:

• Lead with strength, vision, inspiration, and compassion
• Advocate for and educate others about the value and importance of landscape architecture
• Work diligently to sustain and grow a multidisciplinary practice
• Deliver your very best work on every project, always
• Attract, support, and retain exceptional talent
• Build trusted relationships with technical, financial, and legal advisors
• Be consistently proactive in marketing and business development

The Potomac Chapter ASLA Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes not only Elliot’s remarkable body of work, but also his enduring influence on the profession, his dedication to mentoring current and future generations of landscape architects, and his unwavering commitment to creating beautiful places that enhance both human experiences and urban and natural environments.