John Charles Olmsted
Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. John Charles Olmsted (1852–1920), the nephew and adopted son of Frederick Law Olmsted, was an American landscape architect. With his brother, Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr., he founded Olmsted Brothers, a landscape design firm in Brookline, Massachusetts. The firm is famous for designing many urban parks, college campuses, and other public places. John Olmsted's body of work from over 40 years as a landscape architect has left its mark on the American urban landscape.
Early life
In 1852, John Charles Olmsted was born in Geneva, Switzerland to John Olmsted and Mary Cleveland Perkins Olmsted. His father John, had contracted tuberculosis, and prescriptions of the day were fresh air and exercise. The John Olmsted family returned to the United States to reside at Tosomock Farm on Staten Island.[1]
Career
John Olmsted continued the park planning begun by his father. He carried his design philosophy of integrated park systems into new cities such as Portland, Maine; Portland, Oregon; Seattle, Spokane, Dayton, and Charleston. In these cities, he pioneered his comprehensive planning philosophy of integrating civic buildings, roads, parks, and greenspaces into livable urban areas.
Olmsted also designed individual parks in New Orleans; Watertown, New York; and Chicago. His work in park design led to commissions for numerous institutions such as school campuses, civic buildings, and state capitols, as well as designs for large residential areas, including roads and schools. His work in comprehensive planning for the communities surrounding industrial plants and factories is considered especially noteworthy.
In all his work, John Olmsted retained a sensitivity to the natural beauty of the site, including its views, vistas, and greenways. He wanted to ensure that communities and public areas must be comfortable and inviting. He favored modest, informal structures in a naturalistic setting to large, imposing structures.
His first plan for an exposition was his work for the 1893 Chicago World's Fair.[citation needed] He continued with the 1906 Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition in Portland, Oregon, and the 1909 Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition.
In 1899, John Olmsted was a founding member and first president of the American Society of Landscape Architects.
Selected works
- 1885 - Tappan Square in Oberlin, Ohio, Ohio, as part of the redesign of Oberlin College. Designed along with Frederick Law Olmsted.
- 1902 - Overton Park (342 acres) and Riverside Park (340 acres) in Memphis, TN, as well as a parkway system of broad boulevards.
- 1903 - The Seattle City Council hired the Olmsted Brothers to develop a comprehensive plan for Seattle's city parks and boulevards. John Olmsted was the firm's principal designer in Seattle and laid out a 20-mile-long system of interconnected parkways that linked parks and playfields, greenways, and natural lakes and waterways.
- 1903 - Grant Park, Atlanta, Georgia
- 1903 - Washington Park, Portland, Oregon
- 1905 - Druid Hills residential district, Atlanta
- 1906 - Oregon State University, a master plan for the Corvallis campus and design and construction of 23 new buildings
- 1908 - Bryn Mawr College, update of general campus landscaping plan designed by his father; design for private garden and a small theater in the round
- 1909 - Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition World's Fair
- 1909 - Comprehensive plan for the University of Washington
- 1911 - The grounds of the Washington State Capitol in Olympia, Washington[2]
References
- National Association of Olmsted Parks - John Charles Olmsted
- Olmsted Parks in Seattle, Ibid.
- Seattle's Olmsted Parks
- University of Washington Campus plans
- Bryn Mawr College Plan
External links
- John Olmsted arrives in Seattle to design city parks on April 30, 1903 at HistoryLink.org
- John Charles Olmsted and Campus Design in Oregon by Joan Hockaday, published in Oregon Historical Quarterly in 2007
