April 26, 1822
Frederick Law Olmsted born
Timeline
Journey through the timeline of Frederick Law Olmsted’s life and career. Beginning in 1858 with the design of Central Park, Olmsted (1822–1903) and his successor firms completed nearly 6,000 landscape projects across the United States and abroad. This timeline highlights key moments in the Olmsted family’s legacy and the evolution of the firm over more than a century of practice.
Olmsted Firm
Historic Events
Olmsted Projects
1848–58
California Gold Rush
September 14, 1852
John Charles Olmsted born
1855-56
Completion of the U.S. Capitol Dome and Capitol Expansion
1857-1872
Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux
1861–65
American Civil War between the Union and seceding Confederacy
1865
Olmsted Report on Management of Yosemite
1869
First Transcontinental Railroad completed in United States on May 10
July 24, 1870
Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr. born
1872
Yellowstone National Park, the first national park, is created
1872-1898
Frederick Law Olmsted and partners
1884
John Charles Olmsted joins firm
1892
The World's Columbian Exposition held in Chicago; showcase of City Beautiful Movement
1895
Frederick Law Olmsted Jr. joins firm
1895
Frederick Law Olmsted retires
1898-1961
Olmsted Brothers
1899
Founding of the American Society of Landscape Architects
1900-02
McMillan Commission and Plan for Washington, D.C.
August 28, 1903
Frederick Law Olmsted dies
1905-1910
Free Niagara Movement
1909
First National City Planning Conference
1916
Establishment of the National Park Service
1916
1918
End of World War I
February 24, 1920
John Charles Olmsted dies
1929
Wall Street crash of 1929 and the beginning of the Great Depression
1945
End of World War II
1954
Supreme Court of the United States decides Brown v. Board of Education, ordering an end to racial segregation in public schools
1956
Federal Aid Highway Act establishing interstate highway system
December 25, 1957
Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr. dies
1962-1979
Olmsted Associates
May 23, 1963
Fairsted - Historic Landmark
1968
Assassinations of Martin Luther King and Robert F. Kennedy; election of Richard Nixon as President of the U.S.
1970
First Earth Day
1977
Introduction of the first mass-produced personal computers
1978
Founding of Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy
1979
Fairsted - Historic Site
1980
National Association for Olmsted Parks (NAOP) founded
1980
Founding of Central Park Conservancy
1986
Founding of the Friends of Maryland Olmsted Parks and Landscapes
1997
Founding of the Emerald Necklace Conservancy
2013
Launch of OlmstedOnline
2022
Olmsted 200 Bicentennial
2023
NAOP becomes the Olmsted Network
2025
OlmstedOnline folds into olmsted.org reimagining the Olmsted Trail
Learn about the Olmsted Network
See how the Olmsted Network is working to champion Olmsted's parks, places and principles through advocacy, education and stewardship.