In October 1874, Frederick Law Olmsted was asked by the Montreal Park Commissioners to come to their city and visit their proposed site for a new park on Mount Royal. The following month, he made two trips to the site and presented his preliminare ideas. This project would take years to complete, with Olmsted’s vision … More Part 8 – Mount Royal, Montreal, Quebec.
In 1875, members to the Baltimore City Council sought $40,000 towards the renovation of the four parks that served as approaches to the Washington Monument at Mount Vernon Square. The monument was originally designed by Robert Mills and constructed between 1815 and 1829 to honor George Washington and was erected on John Eager Howard’s estate … More Part 7 – Mt. Vernon Square, Baltimore, MD.
In the fall of 1875, Dennis Bowen of the Buffalo Parks Commission asked Frederick Law Olmsted to plan the grounds surrounding the new City and County Hall which was to be completed in the spring of 1876. The building had been designed in 1871 by the Rochester, N.Y. architect Andrew Jackson Warner who was also … More Part 6 – The City/ County Building, Buffalo, NY.
With the completion of the Summerhouse in the spring of 1881, Frederick Law Olmsted began planning a second Summer-house which was to be located on a similar triangular plot on the southwest of the Capitol grounds. While the north Summer-house had its water sourced from the Capitol’s cooling system, the south Summer-house was to be … More Part 4(d) – The Unbuilt Summer-House, Washington, D.C.
While Thomas Wisedell was busy preparing the map of Olmsted’s plan in the summer and fall of 1874, he was also designing the architectural features for the plaza on the east side of the Capitol building. During that period, existing buildings were removed and work had begun on regrading the property and laying gas and … More Part 4(a) – The East Plaza, Capitol Grounds, Washington, D.C.
A curious feature of the Concert Grove was the pair of granite drinking fountains placed at either end of the lakeside concourse. Their design dates from 1872 and was unlike the carved stonework throughout the Concert Grove though they clearly relate to the decorative buttresses on the Nethermead Arches which Calvert Vaux had designed with … More Part 2(f)- Drinking Fountains at the Concert Grove
Within days of Edward Hager being awarded the contract to construct the sheltered seating at the boat landing as well as the original contract to erect the Spire-house, John R. Munroe (1828-1916) was awarded the contract to erect the Boathouse and refectory in Delaware Park. It was perhaps at that time when the park commissioners … More Part 2(e) continued — The Boathouse, Delaware Park, Buffalo, N.Y.
Delaware Park was the largest of three parks Olmsted & Vaux had designed for Buffalo. Construction began in 1869-1870 and in June of 1874, Frederick Law Olmsted was back in Buffalo giving recommendations for the next phase of the park’s construction. At the July 5th commissioners meeting, it was decided to procure plans and elevations … More Part 2(e) continued — Spire House, Delaware Park, Buffalo, N.Y.
While Olmsted and Vaux were creating Central Park and Prospect Park (as well as other smaller projects), they were also producing a park system for Buffalo, New York, where Thomas Wisedell would play an important role assisting Calvert Vaux in designing park structures. This commission came to Olmsted & Vaux in 1868 and is viewed … More Part 2(e) — The Refectory, Buffalo, N.Y.
When Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux were laying out the Concert Grove in 1869-70, they intended for an open-air shelter with outdoor seating in front of a “Building for Attendants, Water Closets, etc.” which was to have restrooms, coat rooms and a coffee shop. The size and scope of this building was soon expanded … More Part 2(c) – The Concert Grove House and Pavilion
The Architecture of Thomas Wisedell 