Genius of Place (70 page)
Authors: Justin Martin
336
He requested a meeting:
FLO, “Paper on the Back Bay Problem and Its Solution Read Before the Boston Society of Architects,” in
The Papers of Frederick Law Olmsted
, supplement 1,
Writings on Public Parks, Pathways, and Park Systems
(Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1997), 442.
He requested a meeting:
FLO, “Paper on the Back Bay Problem and Its Solution Read Before the Boston Society of Architects,” in
The Papers of Frederick Law Olmsted
, supplement 1,
Writings on Public Parks, Pathways, and Park Systems
(Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1997), 442.
337
Oregon holly grape:
Cynthia Zaitzevsky,
Frederick Law Olmsted and the Boston Park System
(Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1982), 189.
Oregon holly grape:
Cynthia Zaitzevsky,
Frederick Law Olmsted and the Boston Park System
(Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1982), 189.
337
“The collection of water-birds”:
FLO to the Board of Commissioners of the Department of Parks of the City of Boston, January 26, 1880, reprinted in
Papers
, 7:451.
“The collection of water-birds”:
FLO to the Board of Commissioners of the Department of Parks of the City of Boston, January 26, 1880, reprinted in
Papers
, 7:451.
337
Olmsted owned a dictionary:
FLO to W. Bowen Murphy, August 3, 1895.
Olmsted owned a dictionary:
FLO to W. Bowen Murphy, August 3, 1895.
337
“Sedgeglade”:
FLO to Charles Dalton, December 9, 1879.
“Sedgeglade”:
FLO to Charles Dalton, December 9, 1879.
338
rhododendron show:
Theodora Kimball timeline, Library of Congress.
rhododendron show:
Theodora Kimball timeline, Library of Congress.
338
didn't think this was a very good idea:
See FLO to Charles Sargent, July 8, 1874.
didn't think this was a very good idea:
See FLO to Charles Sargent, July 8, 1874.
339
Bentham and Hooker:
Interview on June 23, 2010, JM with Lisa Pearson, librarian, Arnold Arboretum.
Bentham and Hooker:
Interview on June 23, 2010, JM with Lisa Pearson, librarian, Arnold Arboretum.
340
“This is a civilized community”:
Cynthia Zaitzevsky,
Fairsted: A Cultural Landscape Report
(Brookline, MA: National Park Service, Olmsted Center for Landscape Preservation, 1997), 9.
“This is a civilized community”:
Cynthia Zaitzevsky,
Fairsted: A Cultural Landscape Report
(Brookline, MA: National Park Service, Olmsted Center for Landscape Preservation, 1997), 9.
340
“very low”:
FLO to Charles Eliot Norton, October 19, 1881, reprinted in
Papers
, 7:561.
“very low”:
FLO to Charles Eliot Norton, October 19, 1881, reprinted in
Papers
, 7:561.
340
“We are again under”:
Ibid.
“We are again under”:
Ibid.
341
“The whole thing seems”:
John Platt to FLO, November 23, 1881.
“The whole thing seems”:
John Platt to FLO, November 23, 1881.
341
“John certainly felt”:
Calvert Vaux to FLO, December 9, 1881.
“John certainly felt”:
Calvert Vaux to FLO, December 9, 1881.
341
“tranquilizing”:
FLO to Brace, March 7, 1882.
“tranquilizing”:
FLO to Brace, March 7, 1882.
342
February 1883:
Terms of Olmsted's salary, Zaitzevsky,
Fairsted
, 9â10.
February 1883:
Terms of Olmsted's salary, Zaitzevsky,
Fairsted
, 9â10.
342
“Your houseâa beautiful thing”:
Richardson to FLO, February 6, 1883.
“Your houseâa beautiful thing”:
Richardson to FLO, February 6, 1883.
342
stepson John would build them a cottage:
Interview on June 22, 2010, JM with Alan Banks, supervisory ranger, Fairsted, Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site.
stepson John would build them a cottage:
Interview on June 22, 2010, JM with Alan Banks, supervisory ranger, Fairsted, Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site.
342
Olmsted converted the large:
Details on Fairsted interior drawn from Alan Banks tour of Fairsted for JM, June 22, 2010, and FLO Jr.'s “Random Notes About FLO's Brookline Office,” June 1952, Library of Congress.
Olmsted converted the large:
Details on Fairsted interior drawn from Alan Banks tour of Fairsted for JM, June 22, 2010, and FLO Jr.'s “Random Notes About FLO's Brookline Office,” June 1952, Library of Congress.
343
Richardson's flamboyant home office:
Details from Mariana Griswold van Rensselaer,
Henry Hobson Richardson and His Works
(New York: Dover Publications, 1969), 124â125.
Richardson's flamboyant home office:
Details from Mariana Griswold van Rensselaer,
Henry Hobson Richardson and His Works
(New York: Dover Publications, 1969), 124â125.
343
gave Olmsted a cucumber magnolia:
Alan Banks tour of Fairsted for JM, June 22, 2010.
gave Olmsted a cucumber magnolia:
Alan Banks tour of Fairsted for JM, June 22, 2010.
344
“I'll plan anything”:
Richardson, quoted in Cynthia Zaitzevsky,
Frederick Law Olmsted and the Boston Park System
(Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1982), 176.
“I'll plan anything”:
Richardson, quoted in Cynthia Zaitzevsky,
Frederick Law Olmsted and the Boston Park System
(Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1982), 176.
344
“I enjoy this suburban”:
FLO to Brace, March 7, 1882.
“I enjoy this suburban”:
FLO to Brace, March 7, 1882.
345
“throw more upon Eliot”:
FLO to JCO, December 15, 1884, Loeb Library.
“throw more upon Eliot”:
FLO to JCO, December 15, 1884, Loeb Library.
345
“Nothing else compares”:
FLO quoted in Zaitzevsky,
Frederick Law Olmsted
, vii.
“Nothing else compares”:
FLO quoted in Zaitzevsky,
Frederick Law Olmsted
, vii.
346
“Jeweled Girdle”:
Interview on June 23, 2010, JM with Jeanie Knox, director of external affairs, Emerald Necklace Conservancy.
“Jeweled Girdle”:
Interview on June 23, 2010, JM with Jeanie Knox, director of external affairs, Emerald Necklace Conservancy.
346
An unknown someone:
Detail checked on December 10, 2010, by JM with Alan Banks, supervisory ranger, Fairsted.
Chapter 28: Saving Niagara, Designing StanfordAn unknown someone:
Detail checked on December 10, 2010, by JM with Alan Banks, supervisory ranger, Fairsted.
347
“From this hour”:
Pierre Berton,
Niagara: A History of the Falls
(Albany: State University of New York Press, 1992), 193.
“From this hour”:
Pierre Berton,
Niagara: A History of the Falls
(Albany: State University of New York Press, 1992), 193.
348
“To drive around”:
Boston Daily Advertiser
, September 14, 1881.
“To drive around”:
Boston Daily Advertiser
, September 14, 1881.
348
“Carlyle signs”:
Charles Eliot Norton to FLO, December 23, 1878.
“Carlyle signs”:
Charles Eliot Norton to FLO, December 23, 1878.
348
“I don't see that”:
Washington Post
, September 14, 1882.
“I don't see that”:
Washington Post
, September 14, 1882.
349
“Governor Cleveland s
trongly
”:
H. H. Richardson to FLO, February 6, 1883.
“Governor Cleveland s
trongly
”:
H. H. Richardson to FLO, February 6, 1883.
349
“I congratulate you”:
Norton quoted in Berton,
Niagara: A History of the Falls
, 191.
“I congratulate you”:
Norton quoted in Berton,
Niagara: A History of the Falls
, 191.
349
“particularly offensive”:
Laura Wood Roper,
FLO: A Biography of Frederick Law Olmsted
(Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1973), 397.
“particularly offensive”:
Laura Wood Roper,
FLO: A Biography of Frederick Law Olmsted
(Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1973), 397.
350
“life seems a struggle”:
Jervis McEntee, quoted in Francis Kowsky,
Country, Park, and City: The Architecture and Life of Calvert Vaux
(New York: Oxford University Press, 1998), 306.
“life seems a struggle”:
Jervis McEntee, quoted in Francis Kowsky,
Country, Park, and City: The Architecture and Life of Calvert Vaux
(New York: Oxford University Press, 1998), 306.
351
“I have followed the Appalachian”:
“Notes by Mr. Olmsted,”
Special Report of New York State Survey on the Preservation of the Scenery of Niagara Falls
, reprinted in
Papers
, 7:477â478.
“I have followed the Appalachian”:
“Notes by Mr. Olmsted,”
Special Report of New York State Survey on the Preservation of the Scenery of Niagara Falls
, reprinted in
Papers
, 7:477â478.
351
“He helped me”:
FLO to Mariana Griswold van Rensselaer, May 17, 1887.
“He helped me”:
FLO to Mariana Griswold van Rensselaer, May 17, 1887.
351
“well windward of expenses”:
FLO to Calvert Vaux, April 16, 1887, quoted in Kowsky,
Country, Park, and City
, 306.
“well windward of expenses”:
FLO to Calvert Vaux, April 16, 1887, quoted in Kowsky,
Country, Park, and City
, 306.
352
“He went on discussing”:
FLO to van Rensselaer, May 2, 1887.
“He went on discussing”:
FLO to van Rensselaer, May 2, 1887.
352
in excruciating pain:
Mariana Griswold van Rensselaer,
Henry Hobson Richardson and His Works
(New York: Dover Publications, 1969), 36.
in excruciating pain:
Mariana Griswold van Rensselaer,
Henry Hobson Richardson and His Works
(New York: Dover Publications, 1969), 36.
352
after having her third child, Charlotte:
Mac Griswold's afterword in
Fairsted: A Cultural Landscape Report
(Brookline, MA: National Park Service, Olmsted Center for Landscape Preservation, 1997), 134.
after having her third child, Charlotte:
Mac Griswold's afterword in
Fairsted: A Cultural Landscape Report
(Brookline, MA: National Park Service, Olmsted Center for Landscape Preservation, 1997), 134.
352
“changes in our time”:
FLO to Brace, November 1, 1884.
“changes in our time”:
FLO to Brace, November 1, 1884.
353
“It's a pity”:
Kingsbury to Brace, January 10, 1885.
“It's a pity”:
Kingsbury to Brace, January 10, 1885.
354
“There is not any word”:
FLO to Charles Eliot, June 8, 1886, Stanford Library, Special Collections.
“There is not any word”:
FLO to Charles Eliot, June 8, 1886, Stanford Library, Special Collections.
355
“The site is settled”:
FLO to JCO, September 18, 1886.
“The site is settled”:
FLO to JCO, September 18, 1886.
356
The quads and arcades:
Interview on March 29, 2010, JM with Dave Lenox, Stanford University architect.
The quads and arcades:
Interview on March 29, 2010, JM with Dave Lenox, Stanford University architect.
356
“I find Governor Stanford”:
FLO to Eliot, July 20, 1886, Stanford Library, Special Collections.
“I find Governor Stanford”:
FLO to Eliot, July 20, 1886, Stanford Library, Special Collections.
356
“not a tree, nor a bush”:
FLO to Leland Stanford, November 27, 1886, Stanford Library, Special Collections.
“not a tree, nor a bush”:
FLO to Leland Stanford, November 27, 1886, Stanford Library, Special Collections.
357
“Gov. replied a Landscape Arch't”:
Charles Coolidge to FLO, May 3, 1887, Stanford Library, Special Collections.
“Gov. replied a Landscape Arch't”:
Charles Coolidge to FLO, May 3, 1887, Stanford Library, Special Collections.
357
simply cribbed one:
Reference to Shepley, Rutan & Coolidge borrowing H. H. Richardson designs drawn from Paul Turner et al.,
The Founders and the Architects: The Design of Stanford University
(Palo Alto: Department of Art, Stanford University, 1976), 40.
simply cribbed one:
Reference to Shepley, Rutan & Coolidge borrowing H. H. Richardson designs drawn from Paul Turner et al.,
The Founders and the Architects: The Design of Stanford University
(Palo Alto: Department of Art, Stanford University, 1976), 40.
358
“We are now compelled”:
FLO to Stanford, May 14, 1890, Stanford Library, Special Collections.
“We are now compelled”:
FLO to Stanford, May 14, 1890, Stanford Library, Special Collections.
358
“We are gradually improving”:
Stanford to FLO, November 9, 1891, Stanford Library, Special Collections.
Chapter 29: Big House in the Big Woods“We are gradually improving”:
Stanford to FLO, November 9, 1891, Stanford Library, Special Collections.
360
“delicate, refined, and bookish”:
FLO to Kingsbury, January 20, 1891.
“delicate, refined, and bookish”:
FLO to Kingsbury, January 20, 1891.
361
“What do you imagine”:
Ibid.
“What do you imagine”:
Ibid.
361
During recent travels:
Interview on August 30, 2010, JM with Bill Alexander, landscape and forest historian, the Biltmore Estate.
During recent travels:
Interview on August 30, 2010, JM with Bill Alexander, landscape and forest historian, the Biltmore Estate.
362
The Cultivation and Management
:
Bill Alexander,
The Biltmore Nursery: A Botanical Legacy
(Charleston, SC: Natural History Press, 2007), 23.
The Cultivation and Management
:
Bill Alexander,
The Biltmore Nursery: A Botanical Legacy
(Charleston, SC: Natural History Press, 2007), 23.
362
“There is no experience”:
FLO to George Vanderbilt, July 12, 1889.
“There is no experience”:
FLO to George Vanderbilt, July 12, 1889.
362
“Such land in Europe”:
FLO to Kingsbury, January 20, 1891.
“Such land in Europe”:
FLO to Kingsbury, January 20, 1891.
363
“private work of very rare public interest”:
FLO to W. A. Thompson, November 6, 1889.
“private work of very rare public interest”:
FLO to W. A. Thompson, November 6, 1889.
363
“earnest, tempestuous and used”:
FLO, quoted in John Bryan,
The Biltmore Estate : The Most Distinguished Private Place
(New York: Rizzolli International Publications, 1994), 23.
“earnest, tempestuous and used”:
FLO, quoted in John Bryan,
The Biltmore Estate : The Most Distinguished Private Place
(New York: Rizzolli International Publications, 1994), 23.
365
“fall tripingly [
sic
] off”:
FLO to Vanderbilt, July 12, 1889.
“fall tripingly [
sic
] off”:
FLO to Vanderbilt, July 12, 1889.
366
“My office is much better”:
FLO to Brace, January 18, 1890.
“My office is much better”:
FLO to Brace, January 18, 1890.
366
“His death was a shock”:
FLO to Kingsbury, January 20, 1891.
“His death was a shock”:
FLO to Kingsbury, January 20, 1891.
366
“dosed me excessively”:
Ibid.
“dosed me excessively”:
Ibid.
366
Woozy, half out of his mind:
Details of Olmsted's composing his first letter to Elizabeth Baldwin Whitney from
Papers
, 1:66.
Woozy, half out of his mind:
Details of Olmsted's composing his first letter to Elizabeth Baldwin Whitney from
Papers
, 1:66.
366
“in vino veritas”:
Ibid.
“in vino veritas”:
Ibid.
367
“queer note”:
FLO to Elizabeth Baldwin Whitney, December 16, 1890.
“queer note”:
FLO to Elizabeth Baldwin Whitney, December 16, 1890.
367
“I know that in the minds”:
Ibid.
“I know that in the minds”:
Ibid.
367
“stating on honor”:
FLO to FLO Jr., [about] December 1, 1890.
“stating on honor”:
FLO to FLO Jr., [about] December 1, 1890.
368
“I have, with an amount”:
FLO to FLO Jr., September 5, 1890.
“I have, with an amount”:
FLO to FLO Jr., September 5, 1890.
368
“It would be no use”:
FLO Jr. to FLO, November 25, 1890.
Chapter 30: A White City Dreamscape“It would be no use”:
FLO Jr. to FLO, November 25, 1890.
370
“toothless, witless old dotard”:
R. Reid Badger,
The Great American Fair: The World's Columbian Exposition and American Culture
(Chicago: Nelson Hall, 1979), 45.
“toothless, witless old dotard”:
R. Reid Badger,
The Great American Fair: The World's Columbian Exposition and American Culture
(Chicago: Nelson Hall, 1979), 45.
370
“cattle show”:
Donald Miller,
City of the Century: The Epic of Chicago and the Making of America
(New York: Simon and Schuster, 1996), 379â380.
“cattle show”:
Donald Miller,
City of the Century: The Epic of Chicago and the Making of America
(New York: Simon and Schuster, 1996), 379â380.
371
“Chicago Shall Rise Again!”:
Badger,
Great American Fair
, 33.
“Chicago Shall Rise Again!”:
Badger,
Great American Fair
, 33.
371
“In all the world”:
Ibid., 31.
“In all the world”:
Ibid., 31.
371
“When can you be here?”:
Erik Larson,
The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America
(New York: Vintage Books, 2004), 52.
“When can you be here?”:
Erik Larson,
The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America
(New York: Vintage Books, 2004), 52.
372
“We have carried our”:
FLO to JCO, November 24, 1890.
“We have carried our”:
FLO to JCO, November 24, 1890.
373
“some big strong tree”:
Miller,
City of the Century
, 317
.
“some big strong tree”:
Miller,
City of the Century
, 317
.
374
“looked as if he were drawing”:
Ibid., 328.
“looked as if he were drawing”:
Ibid., 328.
374
“Do you mean to say”:
Ibid., 382.
“Do you mean to say”:
Ibid., 382.
375
“Gentlemen, 1893 will be”:
Larson,
The Devil in the White City
, 97.
“Gentlemen, 1893 will be”:
Larson,
The Devil in the White City
, 97.
375
“a place of relief”:
FLO to Henry Codman, November 4, 1891.
“a place of relief”:
FLO to Henry Codman, November 4, 1891.
376
“You're dreaming, gentlemen”:
Larson,
The Devil in the White City
, 115.
“You're dreaming, gentlemen”:
Larson,
The Devil in the White City
, 115.
376
Staff is a kind:
Description of staff drawn in part from interview, June 9, 2010, JM with Julia Bachrach, Chicago Park District.
Staff is a kind:
Description of staff drawn in part from interview, June 9, 2010, JM with Julia Bachrach, Chicago Park District.
377
“I suspect that even”:
FLO to Daniel Burnham, December 23, 1891.
“I suspect that even”:
FLO to Daniel Burnham, December 23, 1891.
377
In a follow-up memo:
FLO to Burnham, December 28, 1891.
In a follow-up memo:
FLO to Burnham, December 28, 1891.
377
“You know that if boats”:
FLO to Burnham, December 23, 1891.
“You know that if boats”:
FLO to Burnham, December 23, 1891.
378
“Turkey red” wallpaper:
FLO to FLO Jr., June 28, 1891.
“Turkey red” wallpaper:
FLO to FLO Jr., June 28, 1891.
378
“grandiloquent pomp”:
“Report of Frederick Law Olmsted,” April 1892, fragment, Library of Congress.
“grandiloquent pomp”:
“Report of Frederick Law Olmsted,” April 1892, fragment, Library of Congress.
379
“peculiarity of my case”:
FLO to Henry Codman, June 16, 1892.
“peculiarity of my case”:
FLO to Henry Codman, June 16, 1892.
380
“You know that I am”:
Ibid.
“You know that I am”:
Ibid.
380
“A most capital school”:
FLO to partners, July 19, 1892.
“A most capital school”:
FLO to partners, July 19, 1892.
381
“I am tired”:
FLO to JCO, October 11, 1892.
“I am tired”:
FLO to JCO, October 11, 1892.
381
“I have worked, I have schemed”:
Miller,
City of the Century
, 382.
“I have worked, I have schemed”:
Miller,
City of the Century
, 382.
381
“I am as one standing on a wreck”:
FLO to Gifford Pinchot, January 19, 1893.
“I am as one standing on a wreck”:
FLO to Gifford Pinchot, January 19, 1893.
381
The temperature on February 4, 1893:
FLO to JCO, February 4, 1893.
The temperature on February 4, 1893:
FLO to JCO, February 4, 1893.
382
“It looks as if”:
FLO to JCO, February 17, 1893.
“It looks as if”:
FLO to JCO, February 17, 1893.
382
“The dirt of the provisional”:
FLO to JCO, April 27, 1893.
“The dirt of the provisional”:
FLO to JCO, April 27, 1893.
382
“I am living”:
FLO to JCO, April 20, 1893.
“I am living”:
FLO to JCO, April 20, 1893.
383
“paints with lakes and wooded slopes”:
Daniel Burnham speech of March 25, 1893, Ryerson and Burnham Libraries, the Art Institute of Chicago.
“paints with lakes and wooded slopes”:
Daniel Burnham speech of March 25, 1893, Ryerson and Burnham Libraries, the Art Institute of Chicago.
383
“I doubt if a man”:
Kingsbury to FLO, July 8, 1893.
“I doubt if a man”:
Kingsbury to FLO, July 8, 1893.
384
“Everywhere there is growing interest”:
FLO to Burnham, June 20, 1893.
“Everywhere there is growing interest”:
FLO to Burnham, June 20, 1893.
385
“Mr. Olmstead Talks”:
Atlanta Constitution
, March 18, 1894.
“Mr. Olmstead Talks”:
Atlanta Constitution
, March 18, 1894.
385
“Words fail”:
Badger,
Great American Fair
, 97.
Chapter 31: “Before I Am the Least Prepared for It”“Words fail”:
Badger,
Great American Fair
, 97.
388
a forty-nine-page pamphlet:
Bill Alexander,
The Biltmore Nursery: A Botanical Legacy
(Charleston, SC: Natural History Press, 2007), 27.
a forty-nine-page pamphlet:
Bill Alexander,
The Biltmore Nursery: A Botanical Legacy
(Charleston, SC: Natural History Press, 2007), 27.
388
“Am I needed at Kansas City?”:
FLO to JCO, October 27, 1893.
“Am I needed at Kansas City?”:
FLO to JCO, October 27, 1893.
388
“My health is extremely frail”:
FLO to JCO, October 28, 1893.
“My health is extremely frail”:
FLO to JCO, October 28, 1893.
388
“
This
is a place and G. W. V.”:
FLO to partners, November 1, 1893.
“
This
is a place and G. W. V.”:
FLO to partners, November 1, 1893.
389
“breaks suddenly and fully”:
FLO to George Vanderbilt, July 12, 1889.
“breaks suddenly and fully”:
FLO to George Vanderbilt, July 12, 1889.
389
“Hasn't Olmsted done wonders”:
Alexander,
Biltmore Nursery
, 48.
“Hasn't Olmsted done wonders”:
Alexander,
Biltmore Nursery
, 48.
390
“Write in a personal way”:
FLO to FLO Jr., December 23, 1894.
“Write in a personal way”:
FLO to FLO Jr., December 23, 1894.
391
“I am compelled to answer”:
FLO Jr. to FLO, January 1, 1895.
“I am compelled to answer”:
FLO Jr. to FLO, January 1, 1895.
392
The letters were nearly identical:
J. G. Langston “reminiscence” from January 31, 1921, Library of Congress.
The letters were nearly identical:
J. G. Langston “reminiscence” from January 31, 1921, Library of Congress.
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