Seminar Dates: November 5, 2026 11:15 AM
Seminar Cost: $30.00 Register Now
Seminar Description:
The grounds of an iconic institution carry as much weight as the collections inside. This panel brings together facility managers from some of Southern California's most celebrated public landscapes for a behind-the-scenes look at balancing preservation with progress.
Panelists will share the strategies, tensions, and triumphs behind maintaining landscapes that honor their historical roots while evolving to meet modern expectations — all under the pressure of thousands of daily visitors. From managing foot traffic and seasonal wear to navigating institutional stakeholders and renovation timelines, this session offers rare insight into landscape stewardship at the highest level.
Learning Objectives:
1. Identify the core strategies facility managers at major public institutions use to preserve historical landscape integrity while thoughtfully integrating contemporary aesthetic and horticultural standards.
2. Evaluate the unique design and maintenance challenges posed by high-volume daytime pedestrian traffic, including turf management, plant protection, circulation planning, and material durability at the institutional scale.
3. Apply lessons from world-class institutional landscapes to develop a more intentional, historically informed approach to long-term property management and phased aesthetic evolution.
Lola Trafecanty, Getty Grounds Manager
Lola Trafecanty, has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Landscape Architecture from California State Polytechnic University in Pomona, California, and an executive MBA from the Drucker School of Management in Claremont, California. Her career started working as an associate for a landscape firm in Orange County, which led to water management for master associations. Her passion for the proper maintenance of designed landscapes and gardens led her to the field of Landscape operations and maintenance. She is currently the Grounds manager at the Getty in partnership with Luis Gomez, managing both the Getty Center and the Getty Villa, the latter of which is known for its historic significance to the Pacific Palisades area and its historic connection to the Roman era.
Her previous roles have been in management of grounds for two historic college campuses, Occidental College in Los Angeles and Scripps College of Women in Claremont, California. In 2002, The Getty granted an award to Scripps College to develop a comprehensive Landscape and Architectural Blueprint to analyze and document character defining and historic features in order to preserve the historic significance of the campus. She is now working as part of the Getty Grounds and Gardens team to support the creation of a Cultural Landscape Report as it is developed for the Getty Villa.
