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The gardener of Eden

At the height of his career, Olmsted established Fairsted, his home and full-scale professional office in Brookline, which is now the Olmsted National Historic Site. The 1 3-4 -acre estate, constructed between 1889 and 1925, was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1963 and became part of the National Park system in 1979. It was opened to the public in 1981.

Although thousands of Bostonians visit the Emerald Necklace every year, Fairsted is a bit more difficult to find. It is approximately a 15-minute walk from the MBTA's Brookline Hills stop on the Green Line's D train, and a five-minute walk from the #60 bus stop at the intersections of Boylston Street (Route 9) and Warren Street.

Those who do venture to the Olmsted National Historic Site will discover a rambling three-story house on grounds carefully landscaped in a pastoral style that resembles Olmsted's larger park projects. Massed trees and shrubs are reminiscent of the barriers of earth and plantings he used along the borders of numerous parks to separate parkland and city. "Olmsted liked curved roads," explains National Park Service Ranger Mark Swartz (LAW'85), standing on a driveway that surrounds a stately American elm on the center lawn. "They conveyed a sense of mystery -- you never know what you'll find around the bend." Inside Fairsted, Swartz points to a 1907 photograph of the meandering Riverway. "He engineered bends in the Muddy River and had the walkway follow those curves to make it a classic, winding promenade," he says. "Before that it was a swamp and a tidal creek that was polluted with sewage."

The Olmsted Archives contain close to one million original documents, including initial surveys, field sketches, general plans, scale models, and 60,000 landscape photographs. Fairsted also has a century-old design office, complete with original drafting equipment, that has remained virtually unchanged. "We provide researchers with historic documentation for these landscapes," says Swartz. "Many of them are managers of historic properties who are looking for technical assistance in horticulture and engineering." --BF

8 February 2001
Boston University
Office of University Relations