Interested in touring Olmsted designed gardens inside The Highlands, another in Broadview and ending with drinks and heavy hors d’oeuvres at the Dunn Gardens? If so, consider signing up for the 2016 Estate Garden Tour!
More information available on the Dunn Garden Website.
http://dunngardens.org/upcoming-events
Seattle’s Olmsted, John Charles, was the nephew and stepson of Frederick Law Olmsted, Sr., known as the father of American landscape architecture. The senior Olmsted was renowned for his work in Central Park, the 1893 Columbian Exposition in Chicago, and the Biltmore Estate in North Carolina, among many others. He was also a prolific writer on a wide variety of subjects.
The New York Review of Books has an extensive review of three new books about the Frederick Law Olmsted, Sr. :
Frederick Law Olmsted: Writings on Landscape, Culture, and Society
edited by Charles E. Beveridge
The Papers of Frederick Law Olmsted, Volume IX: The Last Great Projects, 1890–1895
edited by David Schuyler, Gregory Kaliss, and Jeffrey Schlossberg
Frederick Law Olmsted: Plans and Views of Public Parks
edited by Charles E. Beveridge, Lauren Meier, and Irene Mills
Any one of these would be a great read as winter winds down and our beautiful parks fill with spring blossoms.
Getting to Know the Seattle Olmsted Park System
Join us for monthly walking tours in Seattle’s Olmsted parks and start your weekend with a dose of beauty, nature, and history! They are held on 3rd Saturdays (except August) and begin at 10:00 AM, lasting approximately two hours. Appropriate for all ages. These walks are free and open to all, and go on rain or shine. There is no need to register in advance. Contact friends@seattleolmsted.org for more information about specific tours.
2015 Summer Walking Tour Schedule
May 16th
Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition at the University of Washington campus
Meet at the entrance to the Burke Museum.
June 20th
Washington Park Arboretum
Meet at the Graham Visitor Center.
July 18th
Madrona Park and Frink Park
Meet at Leschi Elementary School parking lot.
September 19th
Volunteer Park
Meet at the Black Sun sculpture across from the Seattle Asian Art Museum.
*This is the FSOP annual meeting, please join us for potluck lunch after the tour.
The Arboretum Foundation is looking for volunteer docents for their display garden, “Picture Yourself on Azalea Way,” at the Northwest Flower & Garden Show. The theme of this year’s show is “Romance Blossoms” and their garden will recreate all of the romance of Azalea Way at the Washington State Convention Center. Docents help hand out brochures and answer questions about the garden and the Washington Park Arboretum. You do NOT need to be an plant expert to be a docent. The Arboretum Foundation will offer a training session on Saturday, January 31 from 3?4 p.m. at the Graham Visitors Center in the Arboretum. Docents receive a wristband for FREE admission to the show for the whole day of their shift.
For more information or to register, contact Megan Meyer at mmeyer@arboretumfoundation.org or 206-577-0549.
The Library of American Landscape History and Florentine Films/Hott Productions has produced a series of documentary films about historically significant landscapes and the landscape architects who designed them.
Based on books published by the Library of American Landscape History, the short films are hosted by historians and landscape architects who, “explain the design process in accessible terms that will engage nonspecialists as well as students, practitioners, and scholars.”
The two films about Olmsted landscape design focus on the work of Frederick Law Olmsted, Sr. The Best Planned City in the World: Olmsted, Vaux, and the Buffalo Park System describes the first park system designed for an American city. Community by Design: The Olmsted Firm and the Development of Brookline, Massachusetts surveys Olmsted’s move to Brookline, his role in its planning, and the Olmsted firms’ operations there.
Each film is about 12 minutes long and they are available to view on the Library of American Landscape History website.
The E.B. Dunn Historic Garden Trust is celebrating the centennial of their Olmsted-designed garden in 2015. As part of the year-long festivities, they are inviting the public to submit photos of the garden taken between October 2014 and October 2015 for a contest. Winners will receive a free membership to the Trust and have their photos enlarged, framed, and placed in the on-site classroom for visitors to enjoy.
The Trust will display the submitted photos on their website over the course of the year and announce the winners at the Centennial Fall Foliage Festival, to be held on Sunday, October 25, 2015.
Mike Siegel, The Seattle Times garden photographer, will be one of the jury members who will choose winners in two categories: Landscape and Detail. Contest rules and further information can be found on the Dunn Gardens website.
Photos may be taken at any time the garden is open to visitors. For a schedule of open dates, tours, and special events, see the Visiting & Tours page.
FSOP has been working with the Friends of Mount Baker Town Center since this summer to identify potential locations for green space in the newly rezoned town center and to explore ways to connect Mount Baker and Cheasty boulevards – part of the historic Olmsted park and boulevard system.
The rezone increased the allowable height of buildings in the town center. This will increase the density of the neighborhood and increase the need for usable green space. The community has made green space a priority in the neighborhood’s planning and the area has great potential as a connection between Beacon Hill and Lake Washington. A continuous connection would fulfill the Olmsted Brothers’ goal of a string of boulevards and parks between Beacon Hill and Lake Washington via Jefferson Park, Cheasty Boulevard, Mount Baker Boulevard, and Lake Washington Boulevard.
See this fact sheet for more information.
The Friends of Mount Baker Town Center is looking for volunteers who would like to help develop the green space and boulevard connection ideas, reach out to the community, seek funding, or make a donation. For more information, visit their web page on the Seattle Parks Foundation site: Friends of Mount Baker Town Center or email towncenterfriends@gmail.com them.
Thomas Herrera-Mishler, CEO of the Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy, spoke at Town Hall in September at a program sponsored by FSOP and the Volunteer Park Trust. The conservancy has worked for the past twenty years to restore and reactivate Buffalo’s Olmsted park system, the first planned park system in the United States.
Like Seattle’s system, Buffalo has large parks connected by parkways, though the automobile age has wreaked havoc on both. The conservancy manages all of the operations, maintenance, restoration, and preservation of the Olmsted parks and circles in the city.
Herrera-Mishler described the myriad programs the conservancy runs to serve the parks and their users. Through creative management and dedication, they have brought back landscapes; rebuilt a derelict wading pool as a summer splash pad, a spring and fall reflecting pool, and a winter skating rink; restored historic structures; and, as a result, helped rejuvenate an entire city.
He described how donors and volunteers need to feel a personal investment in the parks. Luckily, in Seattle we have many people who care deeply for the Olmsted parks and boulevards that form the foundation of our park system.
The video is available on YouTube and includes a short film, “The Best Planned City in the World,” and short interviews with representatives of FSOP, the Volunteer Park Trust, and the National Association for Olmsted Parks.
The 2008 Parks and Green Spaces levy is expiring. In its place, a park district is being proposed for Seattle. If passed, Proposition 1 will authorize the formation of citywide Metropolitan Park District that would have taxing authority. This would provide a stable stream of funding for the Department of Parks and Recreation and would be governed by the Seattle City Council, which would serve as the district’s board.
Our walking tours are free and open to the public. There is no need to register, just meet us at the starting point at 10:00 a.m. This year we hope to continue on to nearby coffee shops to continue the conversation started on the tour while we rest our feet. Email FSOP at friends@seattleolmsted.org if you have any questions.
Hope to see you there!
2014 Schedule
May 17th
Schmitz Park
Meet at the intersection of 58th Ave. SW and SW Stevens St., near Alki Elementary.
June 21st
Hiawatha Playfield
Meet at the park entrance near Walnut Ave. SW and SW Forest St.
August 16th
Colman Park and Mt. Baker Park
Meet at parking lot near intersection of Lakeside Ave. S and Lake Washington Blvd. S.
September 20th
Lakeview Park
Meet at the intersection of E Harrison St. and Lake Washington Blvd. E.
