Last updated: June 5, 2024
Place
Denver Parks
Olmsted Archives
Quick Facts
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In December of 1911, representatives from three Denver civic groups came together, and invited Olmsted Brothers to help make their Rocky Mountain town more accessible to tourists and locals by creating a chain of parks, as well as well-built roads. Frederick Law Olmsted Jr. accepted the commission and traveled to Denver to inspect the 250-square-miles of remote and mountainous landscape.
In Olmsted Jr’s first report of 1912, he recommended acquiring large parcels of land to protect scenery, the construction of an interconnecting system of roadways, and the development of facilities for active and passive use. One year later, in his second report, he recommended the acquisition of 41,320 acres of land.
Olmsted Jr. 's work on the Denver Parks was an early example of sensitive and scenic road building techniques that would soon be used all over the National Parks. In October of 1913, Olmsted Jr directed that “the smaller the extent of obviously artificial and manhandled surface, whether in the roadway or adjacent to it, the better it is for the mountain scenery.”
Source: "Denver Park and Parkway System," The Cultural Landscape Foundation
For more information and primary resources, please visit:
Olmsted Research Guide Online
Olmsted Archives on Flickr
Olmsted Online
In Olmsted Jr’s first report of 1912, he recommended acquiring large parcels of land to protect scenery, the construction of an interconnecting system of roadways, and the development of facilities for active and passive use. One year later, in his second report, he recommended the acquisition of 41,320 acres of land.
Olmsted Jr. 's work on the Denver Parks was an early example of sensitive and scenic road building techniques that would soon be used all over the National Parks. In October of 1913, Olmsted Jr directed that “the smaller the extent of obviously artificial and manhandled surface, whether in the roadway or adjacent to it, the better it is for the mountain scenery.”
Source: "Denver Park and Parkway System," The Cultural Landscape Foundation
For more information and primary resources, please visit:
Olmsted Research Guide Online
Olmsted Archives on Flickr
Olmsted Online