The directness of Frederick Law Olmsted is rare in men of great gift.
Nothing is hidden.
It was 1857, and architect Calvert Vaux suggested they enter the competition to design the new Central Park in New York. Soon, landscape work came plentifully to the Connecticut-born Olmsted. He believed in the restorative power of landscape, which led to his urban marvels, such as Detroit's Belle Isle. Amid neoclassical fervor, he disliked straight lines. He loved contrasting textures, but he blurred the boundaries.