Last updated: May 24, 2024
Place
Brookland Parkway
Olmsted Archives, Job #12508, Richmond, VA
Quick Facts
Location:
Richmond, VA
Significance:
Olmsted Designed Landscape
MANAGED BY:
In 1891, Frederick Law Olmsted was commissioned to create a plan for Sherwood Park, a new streetcar subdivision for Richmond, Virginia. Of his plans for the community, only Brookland Parkway was realized. Originally named Brookland Park Boulevard, Olmsted planned it as the spine for the Richmond suburb, flowing diagonally through the city grid, creating a scenic centerpiece for the neighborhood.
Olmsted’s earliest plans for Brookland Parkway included a broad, tree-lined parkway with irregular curves that would be large enough to accommodate a central median for streetcars that wouldn’t disrupt horse-drawn carriage traffic. In the end, the streetcars were never implemented, and the horse-drawn carriage roads would be transformed for vehicular traffic.
Source: "Brookland Parkway," The Cultural Landscape Foundation
For more information and primary resources, please visit:
Olmsted Research Guide Online
Olmsted Archives on Flickr
Olmsted’s earliest plans for Brookland Parkway included a broad, tree-lined parkway with irregular curves that would be large enough to accommodate a central median for streetcars that wouldn’t disrupt horse-drawn carriage traffic. In the end, the streetcars were never implemented, and the horse-drawn carriage roads would be transformed for vehicular traffic.
Source: "Brookland Parkway," The Cultural Landscape Foundation
For more information and primary resources, please visit:
Olmsted Research Guide Online
Olmsted Archives on Flickr