Readings / Frederick Law Olmsted

Μια κοινωνία μεγαλώνει όταν γέροι φυτεύουν δέντρα, στη σκιά των οποίων δεν θα κάτσουν ποτέ. - Ελληνική παροιμία

Loading
loading...

Readings / Frederick Law Olmsted

September 22, 2023
mike@standardsmichigan.com

“Architect’s Dream” 1840 Thomas Cole

National Park Service: College and School Campuses

The large number of entries in the category of school campuses, which encompasses locations in many places in the United States and Canada, testifies to the importance of educational clients to the success of the Olmsted firm. It also reflects the ever-increasing importance that education came to occupy in American life after the Civil War. Frederick Law Olmsted was of a generation of social thinkers who gave credence to the notion that the physical environment of learning- buildings and grounds- played a significant role in the success of education. Olmsted had planned campuses for the new universities, notably Cornell University and Stanford University; his successors carried on and expanded this sphere of landscape architecture. The names of many well-known colleges and universities, such as Wellesley College, Johns Hopkins University and Princeton University, highlight the list of commissions from institutions of higher education. Together with many private and public universities, the Master List includes public elementary schools and secondary schools, religious and private schools, private preparatory schools, normal schools, liberal arts colleges, women’s colleges, and agricultural colleges. The bulk of the projects in this category date from the first three decades of the twentieth century, the time during which John Charles Olmsted and Frederick Law Olmsted Jr. guided the firm.

As is the case in other thematic project categories, many of the school campus projects have a job number but this Master List shows no associated plans. This does not necessarily mean the firm did not take on design work for these clients. For example, Gallaudet College (the present Gallaudet University) in Washington, D.C., was an important Olmsted project. Researchers are also advised to consult the thematic category of Ground of Residential Institutions, which includes some educational clients.

Text taken from The Master List, written by Francis R. Kowsky


More

Frederick Law Olmsted: The Passion of a Public Artist

University Planning and Architecture: The search for perfection

Beyond Central Park: Three Idyllic Landscapes by Frederick Law Olmsted

 

Layout mode
Predefined Skins
Custom Colors
Choose your skin color
Patterns Background
Images Background
Skip to content