DAN K. GORDON
Founding Principal

Dan K. Gordon is the founder & principal of Dan Gordon Landscape Architects (DGLA). He grew up in Brookline, MA, a turn of the century streetcar suburb of Boston, where his formative years were spent in the neighborhoods, parks, and estates designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, Charles Platt, and others associated with the “American Renaissance” movement. These landscapes, rich in architectural and horticultural interest, have been the basis for the firm’s philosophy and evolution.

Prior to establishing DGLA in 1996, Dan’s professional career began with a west coast-based international land-planning firm. While in California, Dan worked primarily as the project manager for a 5,000-acre planned new town. He also developed a working knowledge of sub-tropical and Mediterranean flora, earned licensure, and prepared an award-winning submission for the UC Davis Arboretum design competition.

After three years on the west coast, Dan returned to Boston to assume responsibilities as the Lead Designer for the Central Artery Tunnel Project – Central Area. Dan’s role included developing the preliminary design for eight miles of streetscapes in downtown Boston, a design for which he received a 1995 Design Achievement Award from Move Massachusetts 2000.

Dan graduated magna cum laude from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, in 1983 with a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Design, and received his Master of Landscape Architecture from the Harvard Graduate School of Design in 1986. During the fall semester of 2020, Dan was selected as a guest professor to teach the residential design studio at UMass Amherst.

Currently professionally licensed in many states throughout New England and the country, DGLA and its colleagues have created a body of work that has achieved sustained recognition, including numerous awards from the Boston Society of Landscape Architects and the Institute of Classical Architecture and Art. In 2017, Dan Gordon was inducted into the New England Design Hall of Fame for the recognition of an outstanding body of work spanning more than two decades.

Dan’s landscapes have been widely published in Design New England, New England Home Magazine, Period Homes and Wellesley Weston Magazine. Dan currently serves on the board of the New England Chapter of the Institute of Classical Architecture & Art.

Peter Stephens
Principal

Peter has had an extensive career in the green industries, which started two decades ago working at his family nursery in the mountains of West Virginia. From his family’s business, he gained a strong base of horticultural knowledge, and in the late 1990s Peter moved to Cape Cod, where he continued to expand his expertise by working with the region’s leading nurseries and landscape contractors. From the rural farms of West Virginia and western Massachusetts, the coastal communities and islands of the Cape, and the historic neighborhoods of greater Boston, Peter draws inspiration from the many places he has lived, each having a unique landscape character and architectural vernacular.

Prior to joining DGLA in 2010, Peter worked for several years as a construction foreman and project manager for one of Cape Cod’s premier residential landscape contractors. Subsequently, while working for a Ft. Lauderdale-based landscape architecture firm, Peter contributed to resort and planned community projects throughout the world. Peter holds degrees in Landscape Contracting and Landscape Architecture from the Stockbridge School of Agriculture and the University of Massachusetts, Amherst respectively, graduating with honors in 2010.

At DGLA Peter excels at all facets of project management, including schematic design development, creation of custom construction detailing, planting design, and on-site construction administration. As a project manager, Peter has had the opportunity to collaborate on some of New England’s premier properties, and has been fortunate to work with many of the region’s finest architects and craftspeople.

Patrick Taylor
Principal

Born and raised on a working vegetable farm in rural Vermont, Patrick holds close an appreciation for the New England agrarian landscape, its beautiful stone walls, and natural simplicity.  While very different in character and heritage, it was while attending school at a golf academy in Hilton Head, SC, that he developed a passion for the built environment and a respect for its role in creating a sense of place. In the search for enduring, contextually sensitive landscapes, Patrick embraces the use of regional materials.  Collaborating with architects, artisans and fabricators alike, he has great appreciation for what each brings to the project from their respective fields

Prior to joining DGLA in 2011, Patrick fine-tuned his diverse skillset while working at renowned offices in Aspen, CO and Naples, FL. During this time he gained extensive experience collaborating on award-winning projects in the United States and Caribbean, ranging in scale from large master planned communities to boutique resorts and custom residential properties. Patrick holds a landscape architecture degree from the University of Georgia, graduating with honors in 2006.

At DGLA, Patrick specializes in conveying innovative design ideas through process graphics, illustrative schematic drawings, and detailed construction documentation. As a project manager he is responsible for working closely with clients, project consultants, and contractors on site. During the design process Patrick contributes an experienced voice to all phases, offering a balance of creativity and pragmatism throughout.

Dan Dobra
Senior Associate

Dan grew up in a suburb of Boston on a generous property where he enjoyed the outdoors, acquired a strong work ethic, and learned the role of gardening at a residential scale. During excursions throughout New England and beyond, he developed an appreciation for natural conservation and preservation of the built landscape. While embracing DGLA’s underlying design philosophies, Dan seeks to create landscapes as a series of spaces from which you can enjoy the natural world with limited intrusion.

Dan’s interest in art, science, and the exploration of the rural landscape led him to Vermont where he studied at the University of Vermont’s School of Natural Resources.  It was here that he first worked in landscape construction, which drew him closer to the profession of landscape architecture. Upon return to Massachusetts, Dan worked for an award-winning landscape construction firm, honing his skills in landscape estimating and project management.  Prior to joining DGLA in 2000, Dan earned his Bachelor of Science in Landscape Architecture from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, graduating with honors.

Dan is a licensed Landscape Architect in the state of Massachusetts, bringing over 15 years of experience to DGLA. As a senior project manager, he oversees all facets of the design process from schematic design to construction detailing. During implementation, Dan provides a dependable presence for any project team and works effectively with clients, project consultants, and contractors alike. Excelling at both interpreting technical information and tactfully navigating the regulatory commissions, Dan is an integral part of the office.

Joseph LaRico
Associate

Joseph is from a coastal community in southern Rhode Island where, since childhood, he has fostered a love of the ocean and appreciation for the dynamic and unique landscapes of New England. That affinity became a vocation when he chose to take a summer job with a stone mason in the prestigious Watch Hill area of Rhode Island, initiating a career that lasted over a decade. As a Site Manager/ Stone and Brick Mason, Joseph developed his expertise in landscape construction, creating and designing custom stonework for exclusive properties across New England.

With a passion for design, Joseph parlayed his construction experience into landscape architecture, joining DGLA in 2015. He received his Master of Landscape Architecture from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst where he was a member of the Sigma Lambda Alpha Landscape Architecture Honor Fraternity. He graduated with honors, and was awarded a Boston Society of Landscape Architecture’s Merit Award as a team member of his Urban Design studio.

At DGLA, Joseph is a senior landscape designer who specializes in the design and development of construction documents and details, presentation graphics, as well as the creation and rendering of 3D models. Using his experience in construction, Joseph has become a vital asset to the team, offering a practical perspective when molding innovative ideas into a reality.

Jordan Marett
Senior Designer

Jordan grew up in southern New Hampshire, where she started a small vegetable farm with her family and hosted a farm stand for their community. Between working with the land on her family farm and exploring New England landscapes, she developed a passion and appreciation for the outdoors.

Before becoming a member of the DGLA team, Jordan earned a Bachelor of Architecture from The Pennsylvania State University, supplementing her studies with a semester abroad based in Rome. Although she practiced architecture in school, she had continued to gain interest in the landscape while working at a local nursery and maintaining residential gardens.

Now at DGLA, Jordan brings an interesting perspective to the firm by combining her architectural studies with a passion for the landscape. Her work in the studio ranges from schematic hand drawing and rendering, to developing construction documents from project onset through completion.

Shangyuan Li
Senior Designer

Shangyuan grew up in a mountainous suburb in Tianjin, China, where she spent her childhood exploring farmlands, reservoirs and forests. The appreciation for plants and natural landscapes led her way to be a landscape designer. She loves to experience landscapes all over the world, she has traveled Japan, Spain, Italy and lived in France for a year. She is fascinated by the beauty and delicacy of traditional gardens, in which she developed a passion for carefully managed environment and fine crafted design work that speaks to its natural and cultural surroundings.

Prior to joining DGLA in 2018, Shangyuan has worked at municipal institute and international landscape design firm where she gained valuable experience in concept design, planting design and construction documentation. She earned her Master of Landscape Architecture from the Rhode Island School of Design where she was experienced in designing natural dynamics with artistic interventions. Prior to obtaining her Master’s Degree Shangyuan obtained a Bachelor of Engineering Degree in Landscape Architecture from Tongji University in China.

At DGLA Shangyuan is a designer who contributes to the preparation of schematic package, site plans and construction details. Her skillsets in landscape design and representation software make her resourceful in solving design problems and making graphic representations.

Stephen Rezendes
Senior Designer

Stephen grew up in the city of Boston, spending much of his youth in the backdrop of urban parks designed by Frederick Law Olmsted. Combined with summers spent maintaining historical landscape sites in and around the Boston area as well as frequent trips to Cape Cod, Stephen developed a great interest and appreciation for a wide variety of the design styles of the built landscape, with a particular interest in the landscape’s connection to history.  

Prior to joining the DGLA team, Stephen earned his Bachelor of Science in Landscape Architecture from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. While studying landscape architecture, Stephen gained experience as a landscape designer in residential gardens of Boston’s historic South End, and further supplemented this experience by working with landscape contractors on high-end residential gardens around Massachusetts.  

At DGLA, Stephen aids in the creation of construction documents and details, as well as rendering and digital graphics. By combining his practical field knowledge with his software skill set, Stephen offers a grounded perspective in garden design to the team. 

Caroline Horgan
Designer

Caroline grew up in Saratoga Springs, NY where she spent much of her childhood exploring and appreciating the adjacent Adirondack Park. This necessarily shaped her view of the landscape and inspired a passion for horticulture and preservation. Throughout her upbringing in Saratoga Springs, a small historic town in upstate New York, Caroline developed an appreciation for historic homes and residential design.

Caroline earned her master’s degree in Landscape Architecture from the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry in 2020 and soon after joined the team at DGLA. Prior to her studies, Caroline worked as a fine gardener and at a nursery in the Boston area, increasing her knowledge in plant maintenance, species, and health. Throughout her time at school, she interned at both residential and commercial firms, becoming apt at both small and large-scale design. Before completing her degree, Caroline earned the American Society of Landscape Architects Student Honor Award which recognizes academic achievement and design competence.

Caroline’s background in environmental science and ecological preservation brings a unique skillset to DGLA, where her work includes the development of construction documents, schematic designs, and digital renderings.

Maureen Gordon
Executive Assistant

Maureen grew up in coastal New England, spending summers sailing Boston Harbor and Buzzards Bay. Her love of the outdoors inspired study in Environmental Science at UMASS Amherst and she worked as a Marine and Environmental Chemist in California and in Massachusetts for many years.

While her husband Dan was establishing his practice, Maureen’s career led her to the Massachusetts Water Resource Authority (MWRA) where she was hired to establish its Central Laboratory, which entailed everything from hiring staff to outfitting the lab. Maureen enjoyed watching DGLA evolve as Dan’s passion for thoughtful design and commitment to meeting client needs became increasingly well known in New England. Subsequently, Maureen’s dedication to the environment and hands-on management skills merged naturally to administering DGLA on a regular basis.

At DGLA, Maureen brings multi-faceted experience and grace to the day-to-day business operation and the firm’s public relations. Connecting all the dots, she provides administrative support to Dan and the DGLA team.