Jonathan Olmsted will speak to us about the life and work of Frederick Law Olmsted (1822 – 1903). This year marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of the man known as the “Father of American Landscape Architecture.” He and his family firm were arguably the most influential landscape architects in the United States with over 500 commissions that included 100 public parks, 200 private estates, and 40 campuses for colleges and secondary schools. These include Central Park in New York (1857), the Buffalo Park System (1868), the Boston Park System (1870), the United States Capitol (1874), the Chicago World’s Fair (1893) and the Biltmore Estate (1895) in Asheville, North Carolina.
Jonathan was born in Boston, educated at Phillips Exeter Academy and graduated from Stanford University. Frederick and Jonathan are cousins, both descended from James Olmsted who voyaged to America from England in 1632 and was one of the Founders of Hartford, Connecticut in 1636. Jonathan and his wife Janet lived in New York, London and San Francisco before moving to Darien 45 years ago.
Arranged by Ed Barksdale