Last updated: June 7, 2024
Place
Locust Valley Cemetery
Olmsted Archives
Quick Facts
Location:
Locust Valley, NY
Significance:
Olmsted Designed Landscape
MANAGED BY:
In 1917, a group of wealthy men including J.P. Morgan, Robert Lovett, and Charles Coffin bought 25 acres of land next to the Locust Valley Reformed Church. Their hope was to create a special place for a burial, worthy of the wealth they had acquired in life.
The group hired Olmsted Brothers to design a place of beauty and tranquility. As their father had taught them, Olmsted Brothers used the land generously to create a serene, parklike setting. When walking down the meandering paths, visitors see no graves, only towering oaks, maples, and endless rhododendrons.
Only when you step off the path do you arrive at the grassy, intimate settings. These sections are family plots of 6 to 20 graves, all nestled in clusters of flowers and shrubs, with curved lines separating each grave.
Over a hundred years later, those at Locust Valley Cemetery still work to preserve the landscape elements set forth by the Olmsted Brothers. The challenge is taking esthetic standards and applying them to modern, efficient land uses.
Source: "Locust Valley Cemetery," The Cultural Landscape Foundation
For more information and primary resources, please visit:
Olmsted Research Guide Online
Olmsted Archives on Flickr
The group hired Olmsted Brothers to design a place of beauty and tranquility. As their father had taught them, Olmsted Brothers used the land generously to create a serene, parklike setting. When walking down the meandering paths, visitors see no graves, only towering oaks, maples, and endless rhododendrons.
Only when you step off the path do you arrive at the grassy, intimate settings. These sections are family plots of 6 to 20 graves, all nestled in clusters of flowers and shrubs, with curved lines separating each grave.
Over a hundred years later, those at Locust Valley Cemetery still work to preserve the landscape elements set forth by the Olmsted Brothers. The challenge is taking esthetic standards and applying them to modern, efficient land uses.
Source: "Locust Valley Cemetery," The Cultural Landscape Foundation
For more information and primary resources, please visit:
Olmsted Research Guide Online
Olmsted Archives on Flickr