Programs

Frederick Law Olmsted: His Legend and His Legacy

Although Central Park is the first and most famous of Frederick Law Olmsted's works, it is by no means his defining achievement. The work of Olmsted and his sons, John Charles and Frederick Law Jr., spans nearly one hundred years, with projects ranging from urban parks to town planning to ecological protection of streams. In an illustrated lecture, Judith Smith surveys Olmsted's influence on the history of landscape design, reviews Olmsted's extraordinary life, and considers the design principles he used to translate his philosophy to built form. Requires a slide projector and screen. Adult and high school audiences

Judith R. Smith is a freelance landscape designer. She earned a Masters in Landscape Architecture from Morgan State University and a J.D. from the University of Maryland School of Law. She is a board member of the Friends of Maryland’s Olmsted Parks and Landscapes and volunteers for the National History Society of Maryland, Inc., Neighborhood Design Center, and House of Ruth.