NAOP Funded Research

NAOP is working to get more information on the current status of Olmsted-designed landscapes, especially those open to the public, such as public parks. We are currently conducting a pilot study in Illinois and Indiana as well as consulting with people in states such as Maine and Massachusetts that have conducted studies of historic landscapes and are collecting those reports.

In the future, we plan to conduct a context study of Olmsted-designed landscapes to facilitate their inclusion on the list of national historic landmarks.

NAOP supports the Frederick Law Olmsted Papers Editorial Project at American University under the leadership of Dr. Charles E. Beveridge. We eagerly await the publication of Volume 7 entitled "Parks, Politics, and Patronage, 1874-1882" and Supplementary Series Volume 2 which is oversize volume of plans and historic photographs of Olmsted's public parks, park systems, parkways, scenic reservations and public recreation grounds.

We are currently working on a list of recent master plans for Olmsted landscapes. These master plans often contain valuable historical information as well as information on current conditions, which is in danger of being lost. NAOP is working to capture this information. Please let us know at info@naop.org about master plan reports you may know about.