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Home , Cherokee Park, Copley Square, Fort Greene Park, Frederick Law Olmsted, Olmsted Park, Palmer Park (Chicago)

the papers of Frederick Law

Plans and Views of Public ,

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 Buffalo, New york , Palmer, Louisville, Kentucky Central 00 Parkways 00 Mount Royal 00 Palmer Park 00 Cherokee Park 00 Papers will consist of Riverside Park 00 Delaware Park 00 00 Morningside Park 00 The Front and The Parade 00 , New London, Connecticut 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, Kenton Place 00 Memorial Park 00 Montebello Park 00 Logan Place 00 playgrounds, parkways, and scenic reservations South Park System, 1890s 00 San Francisco, Southern 00 designed by Olmsted and his firm during his Pleasure Grounds System 00 Fall River, MAssachusetts , MAssachusetts , 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 , ILlinois 00 Pawtucket, Rhode island listed in the table of contents presented here. Reservation 00 South Park System: Muddy River/ 00 Pawtucket Park (Proposed) 00 Kansas City, Missouri Era of 1871-1893 00 00 11th Street Parkway and , New york World’s Columbian 00 Wilmington, DElaware park system (proposed) 00 00 Exposition of 1893 00 00 Kentmere Parkway 00 The first section of this brochure illustrates the 00 Post-Exposition Redesign Arnold 00 , Tompkins Park 00 and Construction of 00 Trenton, New jersey West Park 00 ten major elements of Olmsted’s public recreation Eastern and Ocean Parkways 00 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 , 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 00 Downing Park 00 aspect of a park will be treated — in this case Amherst, MAssachusetts Wood Island Park 00 00 New Britain, Connecticut Town Common 00 Square 00 Washington Square 00 Newport, Rhode island the scenery of the Ramble in . 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 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 central park, new york city

“Picturesque” Scenery in the Ramble The Ramble:

In their Greensward competition plan of 1858, Olmsted and Vaux showed the existing condition of the steep, rocky hillside between the proposed Lake The Ramble in Central Park was the outstanding and the Old Croton Reservoir, and supplemented this with a painting of the proposed landscape effect. example in Olmsted’s career of his version of the

“Picturesque” style of landscape design — the

planting of shrubs, vines, and ground cover with

the qualities of variety, intricacy, and delicacy.

Through this landscape, Olmsted expressed

the richness and profusion of Nature by dense

plantings and the brilliant play of light on

vegetation. He also evoked the mystery of Nature

by obscuring some areas in dense shade. At its beginning point, the Gill emerged from under a pile of colossal boulders overgrown with vines View from the Cave

The area of the pool above the rustic bridge presented an “American garden” effect with rhododendrons and conifers

View toward the Cave from the Lake

The Gill, an artificial watercourse supplied by the reservoir above it, ran nearly the whole length of the Ramble Rustic bridge in the Gill

1873 Plan for Central Park between and the Rustic nook in upper Ramble Old Croton Reservoir (now the Great Lawn) above . The Ramble was the principal park feature visible 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.

Rustic shelter in Ramble overlooking Lake The editors of the Frederick Law Olmsted Papers wish to acknowledge Vista in Iroquois Park, Louisville: Courtesy of Special Collections, Bottom of the Gill: Courtesy of the Museum of the City of New York the generous support of the National Endowment for the Humanities, Ekstrom Library, University of Louisville The National Endowment for the Arts, and the National Historical Plan of lower Central Park: Courtesy of the Publications and Records Commission (all Federal agencies), the Plan of Jackson Park, Chicago, 1871: Courtesy of the National Park National Trust for the Humanities, the National Association for Service, Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site, Brookline, View toward the Cave from the Lake: W. H Guild and Fred. B. Perkins, Olmsted Parks, and numerous individual donors. Massachusetts The Central Park, Plate 26,Courtesy of the Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library, Columbia University Sketch of proposed South Park, Buffalo, 1888: Courtesy of Olmsted Illustration Credits Associates View from the Cave: Courtesy of Herbert Mitchell

Frontispiece, Frederick Law Olmsted: Courtesy of the , View along Riverway, Boston and Brookline: Courtesy of the National Rustic Nook in upper Ramble: W. H Guild and Fred. B. Perkins, The Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site, Brookline, Massachusetts Park Service, Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site, Central Park, Plate 34, Courtesy of Charles J. Reeder Brookline, Massachusetts Rustic bridge in the Gill: Courtesy of Herbert Mitchell The Key Elements of Playstead Overlook Shelter, Franklin Park, Boston: Courtesy of the Olmsted Parks National Park Service, Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Rustic shelter in the Ramble: Courtesy of Herbert Mitchell Site, Brookline, Massachusetts View of Ellicottdale: Courtesy of the National Park Service, Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site, Brookline, Massachusetts Plan of Prospect Park, 1869: Courtesy of the National Park Other Illustration Credits Service, Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site, Plan of Buffalo Park system:Courtesy of the National Park Service, Brookline, Massachusetts Plan of Cherokee Park, Louisville, 1897: Courtesy of the National Park Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site, Brookline, Service, Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site, Brookline, Plan of Cherokee Park, Louisville, Kentucky, 1897 Massachusetts Transverse Road in Central Park: Courtesy of Herbert Mitchell Massachusetts

View of Long Meadow, Prospect Park: Courtesy of the National Park Plan of Seneca Park, Rochester, 1893: Courtesy of the National Park Service, Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site, Brookline, Central Park, “Picturesque” Service, Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site, Brookline, Massachusetts Scenery in the Ramble Massachusetts

Waterfall in Ravine, Prospect Park: Courtesy of Herbert Mitchell Presentation views of the Ramble area from “Greensward” design Bird’s-Eye View of proposed “gallery” at Belle Isle, Detroit: Courtesy of competition submittal, 1858: Courtesy of the Museum of the City the National Park Service, Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic View of Water Terrace, Central Park: Courtesy of Herbert Mitchell of New York and the New York City Municipal Archives Site, Brookline, Massachusetts

Men’s gymnastic grounds, Charlesbank, Boston: Courtesy of the Area of pool in the Gill in the Ramble: Courtesy of Herbert Mitchell Cover Art: George Loring Brown, “View of Central Park, 1862”: Courtesy of National Park Service, Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic the Museum of the City of New York Site, Brookline, Massachusetts Source of Gill in the Ramble: Courtesy of Herbert Mitchell

Plan of Seneca Park, Rochester, New York, along the gorge of the Genesee River, 1893