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| ß Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site | ||
| National Park Service | contact: Mona McKindley | |
| 99 Warren St. | e-mail: Mona_McKindley@nps.gov | |
| Brookline, Massachusetts 02445 | phone: (617)566-1689 | |
| Website: www.nps.gov/frla |
Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site, (Fairsted), trancends
the traditional role of a historic house museum by also serving
as a center for the study and preservation of American landscapes.
From this location, Frederick Law Olmsted and his successors designed
thousands of public and private land- scapes, forever changing
the face of our nation. The Olmsted firm's portfolio includes
such notable projects as New York City's Central Park, Stanford
University and the Biltmort Estate in Asheville, N. C. Today the
park assists researchers with archival documentation for Olmsted-designed
landscapes, shares technical expertise in historic preservation
and maintenance, and develops landscape educational programs and
curriculums. Together these programs enhance appreciation and
stewardship of America's most valued public spaces.
Hours: Walk-in public: Friday, Saturday and Sundays from 10:00
a.m. to 4:30 p.m. National Park Service Rangers offer tours every
hour on the half-hour from 10:30 - 3:30. Tours last 40 minutes.
The site is also open at other times for special groups by reservation.
Restrooms: accessible. Limited acess for wheel chairs on the grounds.
House exhibit space and restroom are wheel-chair accessible. Historic
design office is multi-level with stairs.
Directions: Five miles from Boston to Brookline. Route 128/I-95
exit 20, to Route 9 East. Follow to the Brookline Resevoir on
your right. Just after the Resevoir, turn right onto Warren St.
The Olmsted NHS is located at 99 Warren St., at the corner of
Warren & Dudley St. Parking is off Dudley St.
Restaurants are nearby in the Brookline Village area. Only
a soda machine is available on the grounds.
Grounds: The intimate landscape has been meticuously restored
to the 1920- 1930 time period. This was done to reflect the original
design that Olmsted and his sons created and to allow for a better
interpretation of the grounds and the larger design concepts it
illustrates.
Bloom time: late April - early July
Two newly restored iris gardens are on the grounds. Thirty-four
varieties are now being grown. Clumps of iris are labeled with
name of the variety. A list of the iris, hybridizer and dates
is available upon request.
The small heirloom Japanese Iris collection (15), is located at
the rear of the courtyard. Bloomtime is mid-June and early July.
The bearded collection is in the front yard 'hollow' and has 22
historic varieties with a staggering of bloom from late May -
late June. Woodland irises are also in the 'hollow' and will bloom
mid-April thru May.
NOTE: these beds were newly planted in 1998, so there should be
excellent bloom for the year 2000.