A brief history of the Olmsted brothers parks and residential development design projects in Utica, NY, between 1906 and 1931. The webinar will include a discussion of recent efforts to rehabilitate Frederick T. Proctor Park, the culmination of the firm’s collaboration with local philanthropist Thomas R. Proctor.
Philip Bean earned degrees from Union College, Oxford University and the University of Rochester. He served as a dean at Harvard and Haverford colleges. An American historian by training, he has published mostly on the history of immigration, ethnic nationalism, and urban politics, notably The Urban Colonists: Italian Identity and Politics in Utica, New York (Syracuse University Press, 2010). He has held lectureships at Hamilton and Harvard colleges and was Associate Editor for European Immigration history of The Encyclopedia of New York State (Syracuse University Press, 2005). He is retired but serves as president of Olmsted City of Greater Utica, a 501 (c) 3 nonprofit dedicated to raising awareness of Utica’s Olmsted heritage and helping to rehabilitate its Olmsted parks and parkway system.