Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site (U.S. National Park Service)

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Frederick Law Olmsted

Frederick Law Olmsted (1822-1903) is recognized as the founder of American landscape architecture and the nation's foremost parkmaker. Olmsted moved his home to suburban Boston in 1883 and established the world's first full-scale professional office for the practice of landscape design. During the next century, his sons and successors perpetuated Olmsted's design ideals, philosophy, and influence.

Park Closure : Preservation Project at Olmsted NHS

Frederick Law Olmsted NHS is currently CLOSED to visitors in order to carry out a construction project involving park buildings, grounds and collections. The park anticipates reopening in 2010.

Learn about the project >>

Olmsted Archives

The Olmsted Archives is currently available on a limited basis for use by researchers during the site’s closure - call 617-566-1689 or click here for details. For access to the Olmsted Research Guide Online (ORGO), visit www.rediscov.com/olmsted. ORGO is an internet accessible database of information about existing records relating to Olmsted design work.

Things to do

During the site's closure the staff will continue to offer a variety of programs that interpret the legacy of Frederick Law Olmsted. The site offers programs throughout the Boston area from walks of local Olmsted landscapes to multimedia presentations for special groups. more...

Dr. Charles Beveridge at the Olmsted Scholars Roundtable at the Arnold Arboretum

What's on!

The Olmsteds: Brookline, Boston, and Beyond

Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site, in conjunction with the Organization of American Historians, hosted four visiting scholars on Sunday afternoon, September 7 from 1:00 to 3:00 pm at Arnold Arboretum. "The Olmsteds: Brookline, Boston, and Beyond" was a roundtable discussion with historian Charles Beveridge, Series Editor of the Frederick Law Olmsted Papers Project, landscape historian Ethan Carr of the University of Virginia, Charlottesville, architect and planner Alexander Garvin and urban historian and architect Dolores Hayden, both of Yale University. Close to 100 people filled the Arnold Arboretum's Hunnewell Vistor Center to hear the scholars' thoughts and perspectives following a two day visit to Frederick Law Olmsted NHS over the weekend of September 5-7. The visit is part of a program established between the National Park Service and the Organization of American Historians (OAH) to "promote the exchange of scholarly ideas with the National Park Service (NPS) and between the NPS and the historical profession."

Papers produced by these scholars will be posted on this website in the coming weeks. For more information please call the park at 617-566-1689, extension 221.

Write to

Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site
99 Warren Street
Brookline, Massachusetts 02445

E-mail Us

Phone

Visitor Information & Park Headquarters
(617) 566-1689

Fax

(617) 232-4073

Climate

New England enjoys four distinct seasons and the weather is known to be highly variable. Summers can be pleasant or hot and humid. Winters can be moderate or frigid and snowy. Dressing in layers is advisable, as the temperature can drop significantly from day to night, even in summer, and breezes can be chilly.