By Richard Stauffacher Fri, April 24, 2009, 12:01 am PDT

Central Park, NYC (Photo by Oquendo) Being a New Yorker (if not by birth, then at least by choice), I couldn't imagine my life without Central Park. One of the few truly green respites in a seemingly endless sprawl of concrete, steel, and glass, Central Park is where New Yorkers assemble to collectively slow down, relax, replenish, and breathe. If Times Square is the heart of NYC, then Central Park is certainly its lungs -- supplying much-needed oxygen to a bustling body constantly on the go. This weekend we celebrate the birth of the man considered to be "the founder of American landscape architecture and the nation's foremost parkmaker," Frederick Law Olmsted. Olmsted started his career as a journalist, which provided him the opportunity to travel throughout the U.S. and abroad, sparking his interest in public gardens and parks. He partnered with English-born architect Calvert Vaux to enter the Central Park design contest and they were awarded the job in 1858. They followed Central Park with Brooklyn's Prospect Park and continued to work together off and on for the rest of their careers, although Olmsted's larger than life personality and social standing often overshadowed Vaux's contributions. Olmsted's legacy includes (among many others) the Niagara Reservation (the country's oldest state park) in Niagara Falls; the Emerald Necklace in Boston; the Belle Isle Park in Detroit; Washington, Jackson, and Midway Plaisance Parks in Chicago; and Montebello Park in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada. His fundamental design principle, born out of his observations of social class structure around the world and his vehement opposition to slavery, was that his parks and gardens should be accessible to all citizens regardless of social standing. This egalitarian ideal, taken somewhat for granted today, was revolutionary in Olmsted's time and helped to plant his reputation as America's preeminent landscape architect. Suggested Sites... National Association of Olmsted Parks - coalition of design and preservation professionals, historic property and park managers, scholars, municipal officials, citizen activists, and representatives of numerous Olmsted organizations around the United States. The Frederick Law Olmsted Society - dedicated to sustaining Olmsted's vision for Riverside for generations to come. Calvert Vaux Preservation Alliance - preservation advocacy group for the architectural and landscape design work of Calvert Vaux. CentralPark.com - features extensive information on NYC's Central Park and The Central Park Zoo. Central Park Conservancy - private, not-for-profit organization founded in 1980 that manages Central Park.

Directory categories: Frederick Law Olmsted, NYC's Central Park , Landscape Architecture, Land Conservation, Parks and Public Lands

Archived under: 19th Century, Architects, Architecture, Biographies, Birthdays, Design, Environment, History, Landscaping, Nature, New York, Outdoors, Parks, Tourist Attractions, Trees

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