Landscape Architecture

Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site

Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site, established in 1979, transcends the traditional role of a historic house museum by also serving as a center for the study and preservation of American landscapes. This mission is being accomplished through the combined efforts of the Olmsted Archives, the Landscape Education Program and the Olmsted Center for Landscape Preservation. Together these programs enhance appreciation and stewardship of America's most valued public spaces.

Frederick Law Olmsted is widely recognized as America's premier landscape architect and parkmaker. His accomplishments in the fields of park design, conservation, town planning, and landscape architecture have national and international significance. After work on such landmarks as Central Park and Prospect Park in New York, Olmsted moved to Brookline in 1883 where he established the first full-scale professional office dedicated to landscape architecture in the United States. From this location, Olmsted and his successors designed thousands of public and private landscapes over the course of a century, forever changing the face of our nation.

The spirit of this work endures today as Olmsted NHS and its many partners endeavor to preserve and interpret America's landscape legacy.