Frederick Law Olmsted / Beardsley Park

Frederick Law Olmsted, also, Beardsley Park. . , Frederick Law Olmsted , Beardsley Park was originally designed by Frederick Law Olmsted during the 1880's, and the design completed by his sons in the early 20th century. Known as the father of American landscape architecture, Olmsted pioneered a naturalistic approach to the design of public parks. He was responsible for the design of Central Park in New York, the Emerald Necklace string of parks in Boston, and the Capitol grounds in Washington D.C. among many other prominent landscapes across North America. Olmsted was a Connecticut native, born in Hartford in 1822 and buried in that city's Old North Cemetery in 1903., Beardsley Park , Frederick Law Olmsted, Sr. and his stepson, John Charles Olmsted, designed Beardlsey Park in 1884. The park was created on land donated by James Walker Beardsley with the intent to provide respite for local workers from the industrial conditions of the city. The Olmsted firm's design incorporated this site's distinctive scenic vantages along the Pequonnock River - large trees, hilltop views, boulder outcroppings, sloping meadows - into an attractive public space for passive and active recreation. Parkland along the river's edge also intentionally provided green space to absorb water in times of flooding, protecting the nearby built environment. In the 1920s, a zoo was added to the park., Olmsted pioneered a naturalistic approach to landscape design, as opposed to artificially planted, manufactured gardens. He believed that the peacefulness of nature could restore the human spirit and created cohesive designs that maximized the character of existing natural surroundings., Born in Hartford, Connecticut in 1822, Frederick Law Olmsted found his initial inspiration from the landscape scenery of the Northeast. Besides his distinction as a nationally renowned landscape architect, Olmsted was a conservationist, author, and social reformer who participated in the anti-slavery movement. He was buried in Hartford's Old North Cemetery in 1903. John Charles Olmsted (1852-1920) became a partner in the Olmsted firm by 1884 when the park was created after graduating from Yale in 1875. He carried on the Olmsted legacy as a leader in the landscape architecture and planning professions. Horticulturalist Oliver Crosby Bullard, who had worked with Frederick Law Olmsted on several nationwide projects, became the first superintendent of the park., Beardsley Park is a site on the Connecticut Olmsted Trail.