The Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site (Olmsted NHS) is currently facing challenges as the National Park Service (NPS) deals with ongoing funding and staff reductions. It’s important to take steps to preserve this important site, including its historic landscape, buildings, archives and educational programs, which are valuable for future generations.
In 1979, Congress established Olmsted NHS, acknowledging Olmsted’s unparalleled contributions to the American story. Olmsted and his successors transformed the American landscape, shaping some of our most treasured public spaces, including the U.S. Capital Grounds; the Jefferson Memorial; park systems in Buffalo, Rochester, Boston and Louisville; and other sites of national significance. The firm designed thousands of projects that formed the backbone of our parks, public spaces and urban designs. From Olmsted NHS— or Fairsted, as Olmsted called it— they also launched the profession of landscape architecture, trained generations of landscape architects and helped lay the foundations of the National Park Service itself. Olmsted’s legacy lives on in our parks, our cities and in the hearts of every American who benefits from the public spaces they inspired.
The significance of Olmsted NHS goes far beyond Brookline, Massachusetts— it is a cornerstone for the stewardship of public landscapes nationwide from which the very nature of the American landscape is derived. The Olmsted Archives, a vast collection of over 1 million records, represents some of the nation’s most iconic landscapes— parks, campuses, memorials and historic estates. These invaluable records, painstakingly preserved for over four decades, have been essential in the restoration and rehabilitation of landscapes across the country.
The Friends of Fairsted and the Olmsted Network have been instrumental in nurturing the next generation of stewards of Olmsted-designed landscapes, and a mainstay of that effort has been groundbreaking educational initiatives like the Good Neighbors program. Good Neighbors introduces third graders to the art and science of placemaking, using the Fairsted landscape, meticulously restored by the NPS, as a living laboratory where the principles of Olmsted’s design come to life. This program—and others like it— have been crucial in inspiring the next generation of landscape stewards. Yet, due to cuts in staff, these critical educational programs and resources are now at risk.
The ongoing hiring freeze, combined with significant staff reductions, will make it more difficult for the NPS to preserve, protect and maintain these places. NPS employees are not just workers— they are the lifeblood of our National Park system. At Olmsted NHS, rangers, archivists, maintenance workers and administrators are the ones ensuring that Olmsted’s vision is preserved and shared with the public. Without them, the site’s ability to maintain high-quality visitor services, safeguard public safety and preserve this national landmark will be severely diminished. These cuts will not only affect operations at Olmsted NHS but will also send a shockwave through the entire system of public lands that serves as the backbone of our national heritage and the economies that flourish around them.
But the crisis doesn’t end with staffing. The NPS and Olmsted NHS are also facing devastating financial cuts and procurement restrictions that will make it extremely difficult for the park to procure essential services, such as emergency contracts for the climate control system protecting the invaluable archives. These obstacles are endangering the very preservation efforts that have made Olmsted NHS a symbol of stewardship and excellence.
The time to act is now.
Olmsted NHS is a national treasure, and its preservation is critical— not just for the legacy of Olmsted but for the future of our national parks and public spaces. The creation of Olmsted NHS was the culmination of years of advocacy by many individuals, including the founders of the Olmsted Network, and we must not let it slip away. The Olmsted NHS and the Olmsted Network have worked hand-in-hand for decades to protect this heritage— and now we need your voice more than ever!
We are calling on you to stand with us in defense of Olmsted NHS and its staff. Please contact your Congressional representatives to demand the essential resources necessary to protect Olmsted NHS— adequate staffing, funding for education programs, preservation maintenance and the continued preservation and digitization of the Olmsted Archives. These resources are integral to the work of the Olmsted Network and its partners. This is not just about Fairsted. It is about safeguarding the legacy of one of America’s greatest visionaries and ensuring that this work continues to inspire, educate and heal for generations to come.
Friends of Fairsted is the official non-profit partner of Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site. The organization has supported events, education and preservation at Fairsted for nearly 20 years.
Thomas H. Woodward currently serves as Friends of Fairsted’s President. He can be reached at info@friendsoffairsted.org.
Lauren Meier is an editor of The Master List of Design Projects of the Olmsted Firm and the final two volumes of the Papers of Frederick Law Olmsted. She is also the co-author of The Olmsteds and the National Park Service. She previously served as an Olmsted Network Board Member and currently serves as Friends of Fairsted’s Treasurer.
All photography courtesy of Olmsted NHS.
