Last updated: June 5, 2024
Place
Camden Village Green
Olmsted Archives
Quick Facts
In the late 1920s, after a fire had devastated a popular summer resort, a group of Camden, Maine patrons purchased the empty half-acre site and hired Olmsted Brothers to design a green for the village. Frederick Law Olmsted Jr. would be the firm member tasked with leading this project.
The patrons of Camden requested a simple, unadorned village green that would complement the land's awkward topography and lack of trees. Olmsted Jr. recommended the re-grading of the site, which would allow for a larger area of lawn that would be visible from downtown Camden. Trees and shrubs of various heights were also planted to shelter the green from neighboring buildings.
What began with just a wooden fence evolved into rough granite posts with heavy chains, which are still present today. While Camden followed a majority of Olmsted Jr.’s plan, they did alter some of his recommended plantings. The people of Camden must have been pleased with the Olmsted Firm’s work, because twenty years later Camden once again hired Olmsted Brothers, this time to design a memorial flagpole to honor World War II soldiers.
Source: "Camden Village Green," The Cultural Landscape Foundation
For more information and primary resources, please visit:
Olmsted Research Guide Online
Olmsted Archives on Flickr
The patrons of Camden requested a simple, unadorned village green that would complement the land's awkward topography and lack of trees. Olmsted Jr. recommended the re-grading of the site, which would allow for a larger area of lawn that would be visible from downtown Camden. Trees and shrubs of various heights were also planted to shelter the green from neighboring buildings.
What began with just a wooden fence evolved into rough granite posts with heavy chains, which are still present today. While Camden followed a majority of Olmsted Jr.’s plan, they did alter some of his recommended plantings. The people of Camden must have been pleased with the Olmsted Firm’s work, because twenty years later Camden once again hired Olmsted Brothers, this time to design a memorial flagpole to honor World War II soldiers.
Source: "Camden Village Green," The Cultural Landscape Foundation
For more information and primary resources, please visit:
Olmsted Research Guide Online
Olmsted Archives on Flickr