Golf Course Architect
James H. Bassett, FASLA
President, Bassett Associates
Today, Jim Bassett is a national leader in the field of landscape architecture, but all his work incorporates his memories of farming as a child in West Central Ohio. When his brothers went to war, he was 13, and he quickly had to learn what it was to go out and work hard. He enjoyed it. Bassett loved working with his father, and he still works on the farm when he needs to relax.
In fact, when Bassett looks back at his motivations for becoming a landscape architect, his mind goes first to the orderly farm on which he was raised and to memories of his grandmother. She "took a special interest in flowers, trees, and gardening and gave me plants to grow in the yard. That was one of the things I was interested in, although I didn't realize it at the time."
Bassett was similarly oblivious to how this early experience would instill in him a pride in stewardship and a concern for America's fast-disappearing prime agricultural land, an interest that he says is hardly common to most landscape architects. "But you are just closer to it when you cultivate land and watch things grow and check out the drainage and all these things that I love to do," he says.
This background forms the foundation of Jim's approach to landscape architecture and design. He combines art, architecture, science and engineering to design unique environments. He is dedicated to preserving and incorporating natural surroundings into designs that evoke a quiet way of life and increase people's enjoyment. It is from this perspective that he has created the Village at Sugar Creek to surround the 18-hole Golf at Sugar Creek which he designed in the late '90's.
At the Village at Sugar Creek Bassett's design transforms the surrounding woodlands and meadows into a unique environment for residential homes. His focus is on preserving the natural beauty of the land through good design practices, good management and controlled growth. These are the key components of his work and are the threads that weave through his many projects since he began his career over 50 years ago.
Major projects include land use and master planning for Muirfield Village and master planning and site design for corporate headquarters of Chemlawn Corp., O.M. Scott's, Wendy's International, The Limited, Longaberger Company corporate headquarters, the Longaberger Entrance Corridor and Clubhouse, National Lime & Stone corporate headquarters at Lake Cascades, Ashland Chemical Company headquarters, Marathon Oil Company and OCLC. His Lima streetscape has been featured in both Landscape Architecture and Landscape Architecture in Ohio.
In addition, Jim Bassett is today recognized as one of the leading zoological designers in the country bringing his sensitive perceptions of site design and the relationship of plants, people and space to the unique challenges of zoo design. His work includes zoological facilities in Kansas City, Fresno, DesMoines, Fort Wayne, Akron, Columbus, Ohio and Greenville, South Carolina.
He has been President of Bassett Associates since its establishment in 1954 and has received numerous state and national awards for design excellence. Bassett Associates is an incorporated firm of professional landscape architects, designers and planners with a widespread reputation for design excellence in a diverse array of projects including urban plazas and streetscapes, recreational facilities, corporate and institutional campuses, residential communities, zoological facilities and mixed use developments.