About Frederick Law Olmsted

Frederick Law Olmsted (April 26, 1822-August 28, 1903) was a transformative figure in American history. His work—including journalism in the ante-bellum South and disaster relief during the Civil War—was groundbreaking. As a Landscape Architect, Olmsted co-designed, with Calvert Vaux, the first public park in Central Park, New York City. He designed the first municipal park system in Buffalo, New York; the first state park at Niagara Falls and created, in his Yosemite Report, the framework for the National Park System. His influence – starting with Central Park in 1857; throughout the breadth and scope of his career until 1895; beyond the life of the Olmsted firm which operated until 1979; to the living legacy of parks, campuses, public grounds, park systems, and communities we enjoy today; and continuing with the profession of Landscape Architecture- cannot be overstated. His work was based on, and expressive of, knowledge and principles of environmental sustainability, scenic quality, public health, democracy, and social equity, which remain evermore relevant.