To celebrate Olmsted 200, a nation-wide commemoration of the bicentennial of the birth of Frederick Law Olmsted Sr., father of American Landscape Architecture, Planting Fields Foundation hosted a week of scholarship, community, and programming that celebrated both the Olmsted legacy and the central contributions made by the Olmsted Brothers firm at this site in the first half of the twentieth century, which continue to shape Planting Fields today.
Beginning with an opening reception at La Selva, a privately owned Olmsted-designed estate in Oyster Bay, this major two-day symposium brought together experts in the fields of landscape architecture history and practice to examine the residential projects of the Olmsted firm, spanning from 1857 to 1979. This multi-day convening focused on methods of sustainability in the preservation and restoration of historic designed landscapes; American landscapes and issues of race; and decision-making models for studying and sustaining historic design landscapes, among other topics.
Planting Fields is proud to have hosted such a wonderful gathering of leading minds in the field of Olmsted scholarship. We hope that these events will serve to highlight the enduring appeal and historic importance of the Olmsted Firm as we aim to continue efforts to preserve, protect, and document Olmsted-designed sites.
Click here to see video recordings of Olmsted 200 lectures.
Click here to see the Olmsted Symposium Opening Reception featured in New York Social Diary.
What’s Out There: Olmsted on Long Island
In addition to compiling a guidebook of Olmsted-designed sites on Long Island, Planting Fields Foundation’s partnership with The Cultural Landscape Foundation also brought the opportunity to participate in a weekend of private tours of the sites listed in the new publication. Planting Fields Foundation is so pleased to have partnered with The Cultural Landscape Foundation to create public access to 15 different Olmsted-designed sites on Long Island, and to lead efforts to create greater awareness and celebration of the collective heritage of Olmsted on Long Island.
Please click here to view a free digital copy of the Guidebook.
Copies of the Olmsted on Long Island Guidebook are also available for purchase at the Planting Fields Visitor Center in Coe Hall.
These Olmsted 200 events were all made possible through generous grant funding provided by the Robert David Lion Gardiner Foundation.
Thank you to our various Olmsted 200 partners and sponsors.
