When Church started practicing, the Neoclassical style was still the predominant landscape design style. Thomas’s design education at UC Berkeley and Harvard, along with his travels to gardens in Europe, gave him ample training in Classical and Renaissance garden traditions. However, Church is renowned as a pioneer in American landscape architect for introducing the Modernist architecture and art movements into landscape design.[2] After WW II, other designers added to what later became to be known as the “California Style” of gardens. Some of them apprenticed in his design studio, including Robert Royston and Lawrence Halprin.