The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-08-29
CENTRAL PARKS MAKER DEAD
FREDERICK LAW OLMSTED, fla
NOUS LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT.

Nearly All the Handsome Public Ground
OF American Cities owe Their Beauty
10 HIS Art---PrOspect Park His Work
Laid Out the Chicago worlds Fair
BosroN, Aug. 2s-Frederick LAW Ohm.
sted, the landscape architect, died at
Waverly at 2 o'clock this morning in his
eighty-second year. Mr.. Olmsted retired
from the practice OF his profession in the
summer of 1895 owing to i'll health, and his
death was caused by weakness resulting
from Ill health and increased by advancing
age.
Mr.. Olmsted's home was at ~ Warren
street, Brookline. His wife, who was
Mary c. b. Perkins, two sons, John l.,
Omsted and Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr.,
both landscape architects, and one daughter,
Miss Marion Olmsted. survive him.
The principal cities OF the United States
owe the beauty of their public parks, their
driveways, their boulevards and their
breathing spots to the genius of Frederick
Law Olmsted for landscape architecture, and
almost without exception the large private
estates scattered about this country were
designed and laid out by him BY New
Workers. Mr.. Omsted will be remembered
best as the man who laid out Central Park,
Frederick Law Olmsted was horn in Hart
ford. Conn, on April %, ls22. He got
his early schooling from parish ministers,
as was the custom in New England in those
days, spent two years of his youth in this
city as a clerk in an importing house and
took a voyage to China before the mast
OF sailing vessel. He then made up his
mind that the life of farmer was best
suited to him and spent several years on
Gar A n
studied under surveyor, attended Phil
lips-Andover Academy as special Student
and took a special course at Yale.
From his boyhood he was a lover OF the
beautiful, and in the long rambles through
the country which he took with his father
was a close observer Of how great part
the hand Of man could play in adding to
or taking away from the natural beauties
OF the landscape.
MIR. OImsted Began his life as farmer
with a rough place at Sayville,, L. l.
Later he bought farm on the south shore |
of Staten Island, where he lived and worked |
for MANY years.
At the Newburgh home Of Andrew jackson |
Downing he met Calvert Vaux. a young |
English architect who afterward became |
his partner In 1851 Mr.. Olmsted, his |
brother and Charles Loring Brace journeyed |
through England. Later Mr. Olmsted
embodied his experiences and observa-
titled Walks and Talks of an American
Farmer in England" few years later
he made horseback trip from Mexico TO
Washington, writing letters which were
published in the Nep York Times and
attracted good deal of attention.
II was in 1858 that Mr. Oltnsted and Mr..
yaux made plans for Central Park, in a
competition with thirty~two others. which
won first prize and led to the engagement
Of the firm as landscape architects From
that time on Mr.. Olmsteds efforts we're
given almost entirely to the work OF land
scape gardening In 1881 he was APP
pointed executive officer of the Sanitary
Commission Until 1853 he also acted as
chairman OF the first Yosemite Commission.
He spent some time as an estate manager
In California
With Mr.. vaux Mr. Omsted prepared
designs for Prospect Park in
Brooklyn, laid out the public parks OF
the Chicago suburb Of Riverside, as well
as many other large and small works of a
similar nature in other places. He parted
from Mr.. Vaux In 1878, at which time he
became the salaried landscape architect
of the Department Of Parks Of this city.
Drive and laid out number Of small parks
and squares In different parts Of the city.
In 1873 Mr.. Olmsted was called upon to
plan the Boston system Of parks, and the
better to do the work he removed to Brook
line, near Boston, In 1880. With John
Charles 0lmsted, his nephew. as a partner,
Mr.. Olmsted engaged in many other i'm
portant works, designing the parks of
Montreal, Rochester, Buffalo, Detroit, Mil
waukee, Louisville and other places. At
the same time he was engaged in laying
put the private estates Of many rich men,
some OF the greatest monuments to his
genius in this line being at Bar Harbor,
W.. N Il
When Mr. Olmsted was called upon to
lay out the Worlds Fair grounds in
Chicago ne took into partnership Henry
Sargent Goldman. who died later in
Chicago. In 1892 an old pupil OF his,
Charles Eliot, became a partner, and
later Mr.. Olmsted's son. Frederick Law
Olrnsted, Jr., joined the firm. Mr.. Ohm
,ted's splendid success with the Columbian
Exposition won honorary degrees for him
from Harvard and Yale. Earlier In his ca
reer Mr.. Olmsted was honored with de-
grees from Harvard and Amherst,