Shared Spaces

Central Park, the first joint venture of Olmsted and Vaux, from its first years, has also inspired many artists to depict its scenery and the ways people enjoy it, giving us, as a few early examples show, another way to appreciate the park’s design and social impact.

Frederick Law Olmsted, Sr. (1822-1903) is one of my favorite figures in American history. Not only was he the nation’s pre-eminent landscape architect, but he made significant contributions as an author, conservationist, abolitionist, and social reformer. Frederick Law Olmsted and his sons–the Olmsted Brothers–had important ties with Chicago that are often overlooked.  At 6:00 p.m., […]

As part of the bicentennial, NPS issues a Call for Papers to examine the multi-faceted work of the Olmsted firm. Abstracts due by November 21, 2021

Friends of McMillan Park returned to the D.C. Court of Appeals in September to appeal a demolition permit that was issued in August of 2019 for most of the McMillan site. During the meeting, the group argued that the demolition permit was issued in violation of the Historic Preservation Act as the entire site is […]

Friends of Maryland’s Olmsted Parks and Landscapes (FMOPL) has created a small grant opportunity to support projects tied to the Olmsted 200 celebration within the state of Maryland. FMOPL is committed to advancing the legacy of Frederick Law Olmsted and his championing of accessible public parks, sustainable landscapes, and livable communities. As a proud partner […]

On Tuesday, September 28, 2021, former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama visited historic Jackson Park (Project No. 01902) in Chicago, IL for the Obama Presidential Center’s (OPC) ceremonial groundbreaking.  This groundbreaking took place weeks after construction crews began demolishing the site— a plot of parkland along the South Side’s sublime Lake […]

Decades of budgetary restrictions, nonconforming changes, poor decisions, and theft have compromised the integrity of these parks,– now to be addressed in a “master plan” in Forest Hills.

Downing Park was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux as a memorial to Andrew Jackson Downing, their friend and mentor.

The current effort to restore the Carlton Street Footbridge (CSF) started in 1998 with a Request for Proposal (RFP) posting by Brookline, Mass.  It stated that “deferred maintenance over the past several decades has left the structure in a deteriorated and vulnerable state.” Brookline, home to some 60,000 people, borders Boston and shares the Muddy River […]