APRIL 2022 ■ www.AtlantaIntownPaper.com
Celebrating Parks for All People A SPECIAL SECTION
At l a n t a I n t o w n Pa p e r. c o m
Frederick Law Olmsted, considered the father of landscape architecture, designed some of America’s most preeminent greenspaces: Central Park in New York City, Prospect Park in Brooklyn, the Emerald Necklace in Boston, the grounds of the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, and the grounds of the United States Capitol in Washington D.C. In 1892, while finishing the Biltmore Estate, Olmsted was invited to Atlanta by developer Joel Hurt to design his latest planned community, Druid Hills. The centerpiece of the neighborhood would be a series of linear parks along Ponce de Leon Avenue. It would be Olmsted’s last commission before his death in 1903. As with all his designs, Olmsted’s main goal, no matter what and where he was working, was to attempt to change American society for the better. He used his landscape designs to promote harmony, health and social democracy and believed that parks and greenspace were a place for all people to come together, build community and connect on common ground. A group of neighborhood organizations has come together to represent Druid Hills as part of the National Birthday Celebration for Olmsted’s 200th Birthday. The group is comprised of representatives and volunteers from Olmsted Linear Park Alliance, Druid Hills Civic Association, Emory Village Alliance, Olmsted Plein Air Invitational, Druid Hills Golf Club, South Fork Conservancy, The Frazier Center, Callanwolde Fine Arts Center, The Lullwater Garden Club, Fernbank, Emory University, and the schools and churches within Druid Hills. Olmsted’s 200th birthday will be celebrated at the spaces he designed across America this year. Turn the page to find out more about the celebratory events in Druid Hills. — Collin Kelley
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