Frederick Law Olmsted was born and raised in Connecticut, and for more than 100 years the landscape architecture firm that he founded—and his sons continued—designed a wide variety of landscapes within the state, to serve a wide variety of purposes, from great estates to public parks to hospital grounds to city planning. A look at some of the firm’s works will show how they married artistry to function.
Christopher Wigren is the Deputy Director of Preservation Connecticut, the statewide nonprofit dedicated to preserving, protecting, and promoting the buildings, sites, and landscapes that contribute to the heritage and vitality of Connecticut communities. His responsibilities include editing PCT’s newsletter, Preservation Connecticut News, and managing its preservation easements and awards programs. Currently, he is coordinating a project to document the heritage and works of the Olmsted landscape architecture firm in Connecticut. Mr. Wigren is the author of Connecticut Architecture: Stories of 100 Places and serves on the Connecticut State Historic Preservation Board and the Merritt Parkway Advisory Committee.