Frederick Law Olmsted Jr.: A Vision for the American West
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Frederick Law Olmsted Jr. Image courtesy Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site, NPS
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For more than half a century, Frederick Law Olmsted Jr. (1870-1957) was one of America’s preeminent landscape architects who pioneered comprehensive planning and played a critical role in forming the nation’s county, state, and national parks. He wrote the key language that established the National Park Service, and for 30 years advised the Park Service on the management and conservation of water and scenic resources. In California, Olmsted helped established the California State Park system and East Bay Regional Park District, and recommended a 160,000-acre park and parkway network for the Los Angeles Region that still guides park advocates. In Colorado, his work resulted in Boulder’s city parks system and floodwater management, as well as Denver’s 40,000-acre mountain park system. In 2014, the National Association for Olmsted Parks, the National Building Museum, and our partners explored Olmsted’s lasting influence on trends and issues specific to the American West, including park management, metropolitan growth, and the protection of the region’s unique environmental resources.
The most comprehensive presentation to date of the full scope of Olmsted’s legacy, the symposium discussed the continued relevance of, and inspirations from, his visionary work as we sought to address contemporary challenges in landscape architecture, regional planning, and natural resource conservation.
Bios for speakers are here. Read the symposium agenda.
The symposium is presented by the National Association for Olmsted Parks (NAOP) and its partners, the National Building Museum, American Society of Landscape Architects, East Bay Regional Park District, and the Stephen and Margaret Gill Family Foundation with support from the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Pacific Gas and Electric, Save the Redwoods League, and the American Planning Association.
Presenting Partners
Stephen and Margaret Gill Family Foundation
Gold Sponsor
Supporting Partner
Silver Sponsors
Contributing Partners
With support from
The National Park Service Stanford University's Bill Lane Center for the American West Stanford University's Heritage Services