Frederick Law Olmsted, oil painting by John Singer Sargent, 1895, Biltmore Estate, Asheville, North Carolina
Image courtesy of Wikipedia
Frederick Law Olmsted. We all know him as a landscape architect; a brilliant man who created Central Park, Washington D.C., The Columbian Exhibition, saved Yosemite and Niagara Falls, and created the first suburb in Riverside, Illinois. This is only a fraction of the list of accomplishments. FLO inspired and created in the world of exceptional landscape architecture, of which, before Olmsted there was no profession by this name.
But, did you know that Olmsted was a serious farmer and a well respected journalist who became a huge abolitionist voice after studying the ineffectiveness of slavery in the American South. During the Civil War, Olmsted took three New York socialites and created the organization that would ultimately have more than 1,000 surgeons in service to our soldiers, and eventually created the American Red Cross. Olmsted went on to run a gold mining operation in California and eventually took up residence in Brookline, Massachusetts, where he created the entire Emerald Necklace.
Genius of Place, by Justin Martin, is the book I have thoroughly enjoyed reading about the incredible Frederick Law Olmsted. He was a genius, and a driven soul who suffered greatly from the intensity bestowed upon a brilliant creative mind. Olmsted went on to create his masterpiece, The Biltmore Estate for George Washington Vanderbilt. Located on the rail lines in the hills of Ashville, North Carolina, 125,000 acres of land were deforested when purchased and a natural forest upon completion.
American history from the eyes of an honest man of great character; that is how I would categorize this marvelous read!!
Frederick Law Olmsted (1822–1903) is best known for designing the grounds of New York City’s Central Park, the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., the Biltmore Estate in North Carolina, and the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago.
Image courtesy of Wikimedia
Frederick Law Olmsted, known as the father of American landscape architecture, was co-designer of Central Park (pictured). To Olmsted, a park was both a work of art and a necessity for urban life.
Image courtesy of pbs.org
National Mall. Photo courtesy Commission of Fine Arts.