later built his home. Donnie was hired to design the site plan, including locating the driveways and decks. That project earned him a prestigious Honor Award from the American Society of Landscape Architects, the Academy Award of his profession. “The James and Earline McClanahan home in Muscle Shoals was featured in Southern Living,” says Donnie, rattling off the list of honors and awards his career has seen. Inez and Edsel Holden’s swimming pool earned a 1988 Hall of Fame Award; the Rick and Linda Walter home earned the National Award of Merit from the National Spa and Pool Institute… and the list goes on and on. Donnie’s background in design and construction has also led to building designs and additions, including the lodge at Doublehead, and the Harvey and Joyce Ann Robbins and Clyde and Penny Roberts homes on Wilson Lake And that’s just a partial list from the Shoals. Much of Donnie’s career has been spent designing and building outside the area, including a series of regional shopping malls in West Virginia, North Carolina and Virginia, and the Hilton Hotel and Conference Center in West Palm Beach, Florida. Donnie was also involved in the Birmingham Green Project, which is now a mature and beautiful part of the downtown streetscape, and which won the National Landscape Award from the American Association of Nurserymen. “What I enjoy the most is taking an idea and making it work,” says Donnie. “I like working with the restraints of a site, and then turning it into something that works for everyone and that everyone likes—including me. Most days, I can’t wait to get to work, and if I didn’t need the money I would do this for free!” People are learning more about what a landscape architect does, but the biggest mistake most people make is not getting Donnie involved early enough in the process. “The mark of great landscape architecture is when the project appears to have grown out of the site,” Donnie says. “I could save people a lot of money if they would start with the site plan.” Donnie’s heroes are Lawrence Halprin and Thomas Church, legendary landscape architects who revolutionized design and changed the profession. “Simple is better,” says Donnie, a lesson learned from studying Halprin and Church. “I always shoot for longevity in my design, and I’m always asking myself ‘will it last?’ As far as I’m concerned, that’s the real key to good design.” Donnie, his wife, Vicky, who is one of the owners of Renaissance Realty, and their son, Ben, love making the Shoals their home. Donnie and Vicky have come a long way since those days when the Phillips boys were taking turns putting each other through school. The next time you drive past UNA or past the Conference Center, for which he prepared the site plan, take a moment to reflect on the longevity of those designs. They are timeless, and will endure. That’s the beauty of good design. That’s what Donnie Phillips does best. N
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