Go With the F.L.O.

Welcome to my page devoted to Frederick Law Olmsted aka F.L.O. In the course of researching an Olmsted biography, forthcoming from Da Capo Press, I’m visiting a number of F.L.O.’s sites around the country. And I’ll be using this space to provide regular posts.

Olmsted had a mammoth career as a writer, abolitionist, Civil War hero, and pioneering environmentalist. He’s best known for more than 50 landscape architecture projects, everything from parks to university campuses to the grounds of several mental institutions. Following his wildly peripatetic footsteps is quite a task, but I’m making an effort to trace the trail of this American visionary. Hope you’ll enjoy these dispatches.

Stanford U’s Future Lies in an Olmsted Plan from its Past…

March 29, 2010

Was amazed to learn that Stanford circa 2010 is in the process of redesigning part of its campus to be in line with Olmsted’s original design.

Read Post

Let’s hope they don’t open another bone boiling works…

January 1, 2010

Sad news: Tavern on the Green, an NYC institution and Central Park standard closed this past Friday.

Read Post

Highland Park: Just Passing Through

September 6, 2009

Today, visited Highland Park in Rochester, a stellar example of one of Olmsted’s most hallowed concepts, what he referred to as “passages of scenery.”

Read Post

This tree was probably a contemporary of Teddy Roosevelt…

August 18, 2009

Walking through Central Park today, after last night’s storm, and tall trees are down everywhere.

Read Post

Buff-a-FLO

August 4, 2009

Visiting Buffalo to see the work of Olmsted and Vaux. They designed five of this city’s parks. Amazing thing is, 131 years after they first began planning them, not only do these parks still exist, but they remain vital places.

Read Post
Next Articles »