Famed landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted has been called the most important historical figure that Americans know the least about. This course aims to change that by introducing the multi-faceted life, career, and legacy of Olmsted who was not only a landscape architect, but also a journalist, conservationist, farmer, and public servant.

Five experts will lead us in an examination of the work of Olmsted and his firm, which over 100 years, literally designed the American landscape. From Olmsted’s birth in 1822 to his death in 1903, we will travel his fascinating life and career as he gathered experiences before finally settling down at the age of 43. We will travel to England with Olmsted on his influential visit to Birkenhead Park; learn more about his groundbreaking work as an undercover reporter for The New York Times; examine his design philosophy; and zero in on specific work at the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition and the West.

We will also learn about the Olmsted firm, which operated for nearly 50 years after Olmsted’s death. There, Olmsted’s sons, John Charles Olmsted and Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr, carried on their father’s work and professionalized the field of landscape architecture. 2024 marks the 125th birthday of the American Society of Landscape Architects which they founded.

(Current OLLI Members Only)