Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site
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courtesy of the National Park Service |
Contact Information:
Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site
99 Warren Street
Brookline, MA 02445
617-566-1689
http://www.nps.gov/frla/
Size: 7 acres
Location: Frederick Douglass National Historic Site is located on W Street in Washington, DC.
Description: The great conservationist, landscape architect, and founder of city planning moved his home to suburban Boston in 1883 and established "Fairstead," the world's first full-scale professional office for the practice of landscape design. Over the course of the next century, his sons and successors expanded and perpetuated Olmsted's design ideals, philosophy, and influence. The site includes the Olmsted Archives and the Olmsted Center for Landscape Preservation.
Activities: Visitor information, bookstore services, and exhibits featuring a variety of Olmsted landscapes throughout the United States are located on the first floor of the historic Olmsted house. A 17-minute orientation video entitled "From Pencil to Park: Preserving Olmsted Landscapes" is shown prior to guided tours. A park brochure, guide to the Olmsted Archives, and walking guide to the "Fairsted" residential landscape are also available. Guided tours of the historic Olmsted design office are offered on the half hour between 10:30am and 3:30pm. Special tours of the "Fairsted" residential landscape, a small-scale exhibit of Olmsted design spaces, may also be available in season.Special guided tours of Olmsted-designed landscapes in the nearby Boston metropolitan area are offered periodically during the year. These may include focused walks in the Back Bay Fens, Riverway, Jamaica Pond, Arnold Arboretum, and Franklin Park portions of Boston's famed "emerald necklace" park system.
Operating
Hours: Frequent guided tours of the Olmsted house, office, and grounds are
available throughout the year on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 10:00 am-4:30
pm. Groups, including school and bus tour groups, wishing to visit outside the
normal operating hours must make advance arrangements to ensure that staffing is
available. Important Note:
Beginning January 1, 2005, Olmsted NHS will be
CLOSED to visitors entirely until the completion of construction. It is expected
that normal operating hours and programs will resume in the Fall of 2006. The park
will continue to offer a limited schedule of outreach visitor programs during
the construction period. Call (617)566-1689 for details.
History: Authorized on October 12, 1979.
See other National
Historic Sites
See other Massachusetts National Parks