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Olmsted at 200: Exploring lesser-known Upstate New York connections on the bicentennial of his birth By Michelle Sutton
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ABOVE: Japanese Garden in Delaware Park. Photo by Zhi Ting Phua INSET: Frederick Law Olmsted (1822–1903)
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rederick Law Olmsted (1822–1903)—and the firm that his sons and associates continued long after his retirement—designed more than 6000 landscapes across North America. For many people, Central Park is the first and most iconic of those achievements that spring to mind, the development of which occupied Olmsted Sr. and his business partner Calvert Vaux (pronounced “vox”) from 1858 to 1976. To learn about Olmsted Sr., the range of projects the Olmsted firms undertook, and the profound significance of their work to society, see the superb book, A Clearing in the Distance, by Witold Rybczynksi. Further, the National Association for Olmsted Parks created the excellent olmsted200.org to learn about Olmsted as we celebrate
the bicentennial of his birth on April 26th of this year. Additionally, the Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy, Highland Park Conservancy, and Central New York Conversancy are among the organizations I encourage Upstate Gardeners’ Journal readers to explore to learn more about the Olmsted legacy in Buffalo, Rochester, and Utica. Olmsted Sr. was a landscape architect, journalist, farmer, social reformer, urban and suburban planner, and conservationist who contributed significantly to the movement to create the national park system. There exists a vast digital repository of information about Olmsted Sr., his sons John Charles and Frederick Law Olmsted Jr., and their Olmsted firm associates. I found myself wondering, what are some of
