Celebrating Frederick Law Olmstead 200th Birthday

Frederick Law Olmsted designed some of the world’s most famous and popular green spaces, including NYC’s Central Park and Prospect Park, Montreal’s Mount Royal, and the grounds of the US Capitol and White House.

Celebrate his legacy on his 200th birthday, April 26, 2022, and the rest of the month with special events including virtual and in person tours and lectures and museum and library exhibits about the life and achievements and lasting influence of the man whose creations have given pleasure to millions of people around the world. There’s even an art contest.

Check the Olmsted 200 website for dozens of events through June. Highlights include

April 25 – Olmsted 200 is teaming up with Central Park Conservancy for a very special Instagram Live on April 25 at 10:30 am ET.

April 29 – The Evolution of Olmsted’s Sudbrook Park from The Baltimore Architecture Foundation and friends will be held virtually on April 29.

April 30 – Franklin Park: Past, Present, Future on April 30 from 2-4 pm ET. The Boston Society of Landscape Architects is organizing a free walking tour with the designers re-imagining Olmsted’s Franklin Park, part of the original Emerald Necklace.

June 17 – The National Association for Olmsted Parks’ Chicago Bicentennial Gala will be in-person on June 17 and include several tours.

As part of the celebration, the U.S. House of Representatives recently acknowledged Olmsted’s important contributions to American society. In March, Representatives French Hill (AR) and Debbie Dingell (MI) introduced a bipartisan proclamation honoring Olmsted’s legacy, which included a reference to the American Society of Landscape Architects, which was co-founded by Olmstead’s his son.

Explore all upcoming events.

For previously recorded presentations, including the most recent Conversations with Olmsted program, visit YouTube.

Those include a tour comparing the lawns, meadows and lakes of Central Park and Brooklyn’s Prospect Park, and a talk about his influence on parks in Arkansas, including Hot Springs National Park.

Olmsted 200’s website also includes a blog, Shared Spaces, which features diverse voices exploring Olmsted’s living legacy.

Olmsted 200 will continue throughout the year and is interested in posts from those willing to share information about local projects, personal reflections, site histories, and more. To submit blog posts, contact Olmsted 200.

Central Park’s Bow Bridge is the cover photo of one of my recent NYC guidebooks.