the papers of Frederick Law
Plans and Views of Public Parks,
Pleasure Grounds, Playgrounds,
Parkways, and Scenic Reservations the papers of Frederick LawOlmsted
Plans and Views of Public Parks,
Pleasure Grounds, Playgrounds,
Parkways, and Scenic Reservations
Frederick Law Olmsted, circa 1880 Editor Charles E. Beveridge Supplementary Series, Volume 2 Table of Contents
Supplementary Series volume 2 of the New York City Buffalo, New york Montreal, Quebec Palmer, MAssachusetts Louisville, Kentucky Central Park 00 Parkways 00 Mount Royal 00 Palmer Park 00 Cherokee Park 00 Frederick Law Olmsted Papers will consist of Riverside Park 00 Delaware Park 00 Iroquois Park 00 Morningside Park 00 The Front and The Parade 00 Detroit, MIchigan New London, Connecticut Shawnee Park 00 historic photographs and plans of the approximately Tompkins Square 00 Northern Section, Later Belle Isle 00 Memorial Park 00 Baxter Square 00 Union Square 00 Extensions and Parks 00 Boone Square 00 one hundred public parks, pleasure grounds, New York City Small Parks 00 South Park, 1888 (Proposed) 00 North Easton, MAssachusetts St. Catherine’s, Ontario Kenton Place 00 Memorial Park 00 Montebello Park 00 Logan Place 00 playgrounds, parkways, and scenic reservations South Park System, 1890s 00 San Francisco, CAlifornia Southern Parkway 00 designed by Olmsted and his firm during his Pleasure Grounds System 00 Fall River, MAssachusetts Boston, MAssachusetts Niagara Falls, New york South Park 00 Charlesbank 00 Niagara Reservation 00 Marquette, MIchigan years of practice, 1857-1895. Those projects are Yosemite Valley and Commonwealth Avenue 00 Presque Isle Park 00 Mariposa Big Tree Chicago, ILlinois Back Bay Fens 00 Pawtucket, Rhode island listed in the table of contents presented here. Reservation 00 South Park System: Muddy River/Riverway 00 Pawtucket Park (Proposed) 00 Kansas City, Missouri Era of 1871-1893 00 Olmsted Park 00 11th Street Parkway and Brooklyn, New york World’s Columbian Jamaica Pond 00 Wilmington, DElaware park system (proposed) 00 Prospect Park 00 Exposition of 1893 00 Arborway 00 Kentmere Parkway 00 The first section of this brochure illustrates the Fort Greene Park 00 Post-Exposition Redesign Arnold Arboretum 00 Milwaukee, WIsconsin Tompkins Park 00 and Construction of Franklin Park 00 Trenton, New jersey West Park 00 ten major elements of Olmsted’s public recreation Eastern and Ocean Parkways 00 Jackson Park 00 Columbia Road 00 Cadwalader Park 00 Riverside Park 00 Washington Park, Post-1893 00 Parkway & Strandway 00 Lake Park 00 grounds that will be presented in the volume. Bridgeport, Connecticut Midway Plaisance, Post-1893 00 Marine Park 00 Rochester, New york Boston Harbor Genesee Valley Park 00 Newburgh, New york The second section demonstrates how a particular Seaside Park 00 Boulevards 00 Beardsley Park 00 Islands project 00 Highland Park 00 Downing Park 00 aspect of a park will be treated — in this case Amherst, MAssachusetts Wood Island Park 00 Seneca Park 00 New Britain, Connecticut Town Common 00 Copley Square 00 Washington Square 00 Newport, Rhode island the scenery of the Ramble in Central Park. Elm Hill Park 00 Charlestown Heights 00 Franklin Square 00 Morton Park 00 Baltimore, Maryland Charlestown Playground 00 Plymouth Park 00 Mount Vernon Square 00 The Key Elements of Olmsted Parks
The volume will present examples, taken from parks
and park systems throughout the country, of the
following elements of Olmsted’s park designs:
Ellicottdale viewed from Ellicott Arch, Franklin Park, Boston On the Water Terrace (later named Bethesda Terrace) visitors had a view over Vaux’s low fountain toward the Ramble
one
Park systems that provide public open space and structure the shape of the three expanding city—the park and parkway “Picturesque” hillsides with dense
system as a fundamental element of plantings that convey a sense of city planning mystery and the bounteousness Olmsted’s first comprehensive park system, planned for Buffalo in 1868- four 1870, with tree-lined streets and 200-foot-wide parkways connecting the and “profuse careless utterance” principal park with the Front, the Parade, and the city center. of Nature Formally arranged spaces for the A waterfall in the Ravine of Prospect Park gathering of crowds for concerts and two other civic events
Landscape designed to restore the spirit while counteracting the stress of urban five life: “Pastoral” meadows with gracefully Play areas for children and gymnastic graded terrain, producing a sense of ease, grounds for all groups and ages freedom of movement, and extended space
The classic pastoral landscape of the Long Meadow in Prospect Park, Brooklyn The men’s gymnastic grounds in Charlesbank, Boston A vista of the Kentucky countryside in Iroquois Park, Louisville nine
Architecture designed to meet the needs of park users without intruding on the landscape
seven
Waterside parks for picnics and The Playstead Overlook Shelter in Franklin Park, Boston
boating, with intricate patterns of six headlands and islands The plan of the intricate lagoons in Jackson Park, Scenic reservations that preserve Chicago, from Olmsted and Vaux’s plan of 1871 ten areas of special beauty within the A sketch of the proposed South Park in Buffalo of 1888 Circulation systems with separation of city for public access ways—pedestrian, equestrian, vehicular— and with easy curves and grades, to enhance the experience of the designed scenery
eight Plan of Prospect Park, Brooklyn, showing circulation system
Protection of urban streams for public recreation—instead of leaving them to become dumping grounds or burying them in culverts
A scene along the Riverway between Boston and Brookline Transverse road in Central Park Plan of Cherokee Park, Louisville, Kentucky, 1897
1873 Plan for Central Park between 59th Street and the Old Croton Reservoir (now the Great Lawn) above 79th to visitors from the Mall. Passing through the Water Terrace (now Bethesda Terrace) they continued on to the Ramble by a path along the eastern shore of the Lake or by crossing Bow Bridge, near the center of the Lake.
Plan of Seneca Park, Rochester, New York, along the gorge of the Genesee River, 1893 Waterfall in Ravine, Prospect Park: Courtesy of Herbert Mitchell Plan of Prospect Park, 1869: Courtesy of the National Park the generous support of the National Endowment for the Humanities, Service, Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site, View of Water Terrace, Central Park: Courtesy of Herbert Mitchell Brookline, Massachusetts Publications and Records Commission (all Federal agencies), the National Trust for the Humanities, the National Association for Men’s gymnastic grounds, Charlesbank, Boston: Courtesy of the Transverse Road in Central Park: Courtesy of Herbert Mitchell Olmsted Parks, and numerous individual donors. National Park Service, Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site, Brookline, Massachusetts
Illustration Credits Vista in Iroquois Park, Louisville: Courtesy of Special Collections, Central Park, “Picturesque” Ekstrom Library, University of Louisville Scenery in the Ramble Frontispiece, Frederick Law Olmsted: Courtesy of the National Park Service, Plan of lower Central Park: Courtesy of the Central Park Conservancy Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site, Brookline, Massachusetts Plan of Jackson Park, Chicago, 1871: Courtesy of the National Park Service, Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site, Brookline, Massachusetts The Key Elements of Other Illustration Credits Olmsted Parks Sketch of proposed South Park, Buffalo, 1888: Courtesy of Olmsted Associates Plan of Cherokee Park, Louisville, 1897: Courtesy of the National Park Service, Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site, Brookline, View of Ellicottdale: Courtesy of the National Park Service, Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site, Brookline, Massachusetts View along Riverway, Boston and Brookline: Courtesy of the National Massachusetts Park Service, Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site, Brookline, Massachusetts Courtesy of the National Park Plan of Buffalo Park system: Courtesy of the National Park Service, Plan of Seneca Park, Rochester, 1893: Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site, Brookline, Service, Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site, Brookline, Massachusetts Playstead Overlook Shelter, Franklin Park, Boston: Courtesy of the Massachusetts National Park Service, Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site, Brookline, Massachusetts View of Long Meadow, Prospect Park: Courtesy of the National Park Service, Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site, Brookline, Massachusetts