Last updated: June 8, 2024
Place
New Haven
Olmsted Archives
Quick Facts
Preparing to expand their growing city, New Haven leaders reached out to Frederick Law Olmsted Jr. to request his expertise in creating a comprehensive plan for the city, which he submitted in 1910. The 138-page document described an ambitious plan to construct wide boulevards and a new public plaza.
In the opening paragraphs of the report, Olmsted Jr. described how he would transform New Haven from a “pleasant little New England college town” to a “widespread urban metropolis of the 20th century.” Olmsted Jr. called for more small parks for local purposes and warned against crowded tenements, which would result in filthy, ignorant people.
In 1913, the City Plan Commission was established, and the next year, Olmsted Jr. was asked to provide landscape designs for the city, this time for the town Green, where he planned to plant double rows of elm trees. “A generous open space is needed” in New Haven, where visitors will have their first impression. The result is a benchmark of American urban planning and a perfect example of what a new city would look like in the 20th century.
Source: "New Haven," Olmsted Online
For more information and primary resources, please visit:
Olmsted Research Guide Online
Olmsted Archives on Flickr
The Cultural Landscape Foundation
In the opening paragraphs of the report, Olmsted Jr. described how he would transform New Haven from a “pleasant little New England college town” to a “widespread urban metropolis of the 20th century.” Olmsted Jr. called for more small parks for local purposes and warned against crowded tenements, which would result in filthy, ignorant people.
In 1913, the City Plan Commission was established, and the next year, Olmsted Jr. was asked to provide landscape designs for the city, this time for the town Green, where he planned to plant double rows of elm trees. “A generous open space is needed” in New Haven, where visitors will have their first impression. The result is a benchmark of American urban planning and a perfect example of what a new city would look like in the 20th century.
Source: "New Haven," Olmsted Online
For more information and primary resources, please visit:
Olmsted Research Guide Online
Olmsted Archives on Flickr
The Cultural Landscape Foundation