Little Known Characters in America: Frederick Law Olmsted

Frederick Law Olmsted is popularly considered to be the father of American landscape architecture. However, he contributed much more to the American people than the many public parks he was instrumental in designing.

After graduating from Phillips Academy in 1838, sumac poisoning weakened his eyes so he gave up college plans. His parents wanted young Olmsted to enroll at Yale College; however, he was not able to attend.

Olmsteds disability did not hinder him from accomplishing a great deal of good works that would benefit future generations of Americans.

As a journalist he traveled to England in 1850 to visit the public gardens, where he was greatly impressed by Joseph Paxtons Birkenhead Park. From this experience Olmstead wrote and published, Walks and Talks of an American Farmer in England. The publication of his book in 1852 was responsible for Olmsted to receive additional work in landscaping public areas.

It was the charismatic Andrew Jackson Downing, the landscape architect from Newburgh, New York, who first proposed the development of New Yorks Central Park in his role as publisher of The Horticulturist magazine.

After reading Downings magazine article, a friend mentioned to Olmstead that he thought that, with assistance from English-born architect Calvert Vaux, the two of them could design an elaborate park in New York City.

A contest was formed for different landscape architects to submit their plans for building the park. It was Olmsted and Vaux who convinced the landscape committee of New York that their plans should be accepted.

The design of Central Park embodies Olmsteds social consciousness and commitment to giving all citizens equal access to the park when completed. Olmsted believed that the common green space must always be equally accessible to all citizens. The principle is now fundamental to the idea of a

public park, but at that time was not assumed as necessary by the wealthiest citizens of New York City. However, Olmsteds tenure as park commissioner in New York convinced many others of his ideas.

At the outbreak of the Civil War, Olmsted took leave as director of Central Park to work as Executive Secretary of the U.S. Sanitary Commission. The

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Little Known Characters in America: Frederick Law Olmsted