Last updated: June 6, 2024
Place
Kirby Park
Olmsted Archives
Quick Facts
The combination of a considerable donation of acreage on the west side of the Susquehanna River, combined with a monetary gift from local businessman Frank Kirby, prompted Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania to contact Olmsted Brothers to design a 106-acre park. After the 1921 death of John Charles Olmsted, the year the park was commissioned, Frederick Law Olmsted Jr. would take over and finish the park, which took over three years to complete.
From the outset, frequent flooding was a major concern for the site. Olmsted recognized the effect a flood might have on the land and designed two plans for Kirby Park, one to be implemented if a levee were built before the park, and one if the park was built first.
Olmsted Jr. was determined to develop an uninterrupted, pleasant rural and sylvan scenery for his successful country park. As development occurred, an additional donation from Kirby allowed Wilkes-Barre to acquire an additional one hundred acres, expanding the park’s land.
Source: "Kirby Park," The Cultural Landscape Foundation
For more information and primary resources, please visit:
Olmsted Research Guide Online
Olmsted Archives on Flickr
From the outset, frequent flooding was a major concern for the site. Olmsted recognized the effect a flood might have on the land and designed two plans for Kirby Park, one to be implemented if a levee were built before the park, and one if the park was built first.
Olmsted Jr. was determined to develop an uninterrupted, pleasant rural and sylvan scenery for his successful country park. As development occurred, an additional donation from Kirby allowed Wilkes-Barre to acquire an additional one hundred acres, expanding the park’s land.
Source: "Kirby Park," The Cultural Landscape Foundation
For more information and primary resources, please visit:
Olmsted Research Guide Online
Olmsted Archives on Flickr