In an article published by the Olmsted Network, urban landscape historian Susan L. Klaus provides some information about the life of Frederick Law Olmsted that you might have missed. For one thing, he was named Henry Perkins Olmsted but renamed by his father, Frederick Law Olmsted, Sr. Klaus writes that the senior Olmsted had “a fervent desire, bordering on obsession, to have [his son] carry on both the family name and profession.”
His father paved the way for his son’s professional advancement. “While still a student at Harvard, young Olmsted spent a summer working in Daniel Burnham’s office as the ‘White City’ of the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition arose in Chicago. After graduating in 1894, Olmsted spent 13 months on site at Biltmore, the 100,000-acre estate being developed for George Vanderbilt in Asheville, NC. In December 1895, he entered the Olmsted firm in Brookline, MA. Following his father’s formal retirement in 1897, he became a full partner with his half-brother, John Charles Olmsted, in the family business.”
Of course, Frederick Law Olmsted Jr. more that made a name for himself in his astounding and impactful career.
Read the full article.
Image: Olmsted Network
