Nature in practice : the Olmsted firm and the rise of landscape architecture an planning, 1880-1920

Abstract

This dissertation examines the development of the fields of landscape architecture and planning during the career of John Charles Olmsted. It attributes to him much of what happened in that period to standardize landscape architecture and planning practice. After Frederick Law Olmsted's retirement in 1895, the Olmsted Firm, under John Charles Olmsted, pioneered and led the development of landscape architecture and planning, working at both the large scale of national practice and at the smaller scale of office practice. The Olmsted firm is well-recognized for contributions to the profession of landscape architecture and to the development of American cities, especially in the form of innovative and influential projects in cities and towns across the United States. With the burgeoning cities and suburbs across the United States and increased opportunities for work, Olmsted Brothers grew into the largest landscape architecture and planning firm in the country. In the office, the firm's attempts to manage an often unwieldy amount of production material led to the development of an office system that forms the basis of modern design practice. On the road, John Charles Olmsted expanded the firm's national practice and became the most sought-after expert called in to help plan cities and towns across the country.