Since January, the Olmsted Network team has been on the road—strengthening partnerships, planning ahead, and connecting with the communities who steward Olmsted landscapes across the country.
From New Jersey to the Pacific Northwest, and most recently New York, these visits reflect a simple commitment: we show up.
Portland & Seattle: Building Momentum for 2026
In February, our team traveled to Portland to prepare for our 2026 Annual Conference— The Power of Connection: Shaping Resilient Public Landscapes—on September 23–25.
We toured potential venues and visited several of Portland’s iconic Olmsted-influenced landscapes, including:
- Laurelhurst Park
- Mount Tabor Park
- Peninsula Park
- Washington Park
- Terwilliger Parkway
A special tour of Elk Rock Garden with Executive Director Stephanie Donovan-Brown, along with an in-person meeting of our Portland Host Committee at Stoel Rives LLP, helped us refine programming and build momentum for what promises to be an inspiring gathering.
From there, Victoria Vanhuss, our Sr. Director of Programs & Partnerships, continued to Seattle. She toured Dunn Gardens with Executive Director Carolyn Cox and Volunteer Park with HistoryLink Executive Director and former Volunteer Park Trust President Jennifer Ott.
One of the most meaningful gatherings took place at The Rainer Club with Friends of Seattle’s Olmsted Parks—a site with its own Olmsted history, where John Charles Olmsted often stayed while working in the city. Together, the group reflected on the early days of the Olmsted Network (then the National Association for Olmsted Parks) and discussed the opportunities and challenges shaping Seattle’s parks today.
New York: Convening and Connecting
On February 25, Prospect Park Alliance held Beyond Olmsted: A Conversation on Prospect Park’s Evolving Landscape, an evening featured a thoughtful dialogue between Christian Zimmerman, former Vice President of Design and Construction at Prospect Park Alliance, and Mark Hough, Landscape Architect at Duke University, reflecting on the stewardship and future of this iconic Olmsted-designed park.
The event also celebrated Christian’s retirement after over three decades of leadership. While inclement weather forced the Olmsted Network team to miss this chat, we were grateful to sit down with Christian this month for a wide-ranging interview. Honored with the Olmsted Network’s Stewardship Award in 2024, he will continue serving the field as a member of our prestigious Olmsted Council.
In nearby Oyster Bay, Long Island, our partners at Planting Fields Foundation will soon host an intimate mixer on our behalf, convening stewards of the region’s many Olmsted landscapes (postponed due to the February 23 nor’easter).
We’ll conclude our New York visit next week with a full staff retreat in Manhattan, along with a marathon board meeting and strategic planning session at Central Park Conservancy. While in town, we’ll also meet with author and historian Sara Cedar Miller and partners from Fort Tryon Park Conservancy and Friends of Morningside Park.
Why We Travel
Across every region, we hear the same themes: resilience, stewardship, equity, and the long-term care of beloved public landscapes.
By being present, we strengthen our national network, elevate local leadership, and ensure that the Olmsted legacy continues to shape vibrant public spaces today. We’re grateful to our partners across the country—and we look forward to continuing the journey together.
