Past Events

Greensward Plan Celebration and NAOP Board Meeting 

April 26-28, 2008, New York, NY 

New York City celebrated the 150th anniversary of the Greensward Plan for Central Park, culminating in a press conference and the renaming of the 72nd Street cross drive as Olmsted-Vaux Way on April 28, the very day in 1858 the Olmsted-Vaux plan was adopted.

Descendants of Vaux and Olmsted with CPC President Doug Blonsky (2nd from left), Deputy Mayor Patti Harris and Commissioner Adrian Benepe (far right) at the re-naming of the Olmsted-Vaux Way in Central Park  

NAOP Board Chair David Bahlman with David Vaux at the Press Conference

The Master List had its debut at the 150th Anniversary of the Greensward Plan  (Images courtesy of Sara Cedar Miller, CPC)

Despite heavy rain, NAOP trustees enjoyed a tour of nearby Morningside Park, led by Brad Taylor and David Rosenberger from the Friends of Morningside Park. Designed by Olmsted and Vaux, and opened in 1895, Morningside Park was recently named a scenic landmark by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission.

Brad Taylor greets NAOP trustees for a tour of stunning Morningside Park, at the northwest corner of Central Park, with its beautiful stone work, dramatic drops in elevation and diverse plantings. (Images courtesy of Eliza Davidson, NAOP trustee) 

The Central Park Conservancy hosted the NAOP board meeting at the Dana Discovery Center in Central Park, which was in peak bloom.

The Dana Discovery Center - above.  NAOP's Communications Committee enjoys Central Park - below.  (Images courtesy of Eliza Davidson)

Greensward Plan Anniversary Dinner, April 28, 2008

NAOP celebrated the 150th Anniversary of the Greensward Plan with a festive dinner at The Century Association on April 28. Following a reception, guests were treated to a superb presentation by renowned Lincoln scholar Harold Holzer who shed new light on the relationship between Frederick Law Olmsted and Abraham Lincoln. Holding the event at the Century’s historic McKim & White Beaux Arts building was particularly meaningful as several generations of the Olmsted family, including Frederick Law Olmsted, were members of the association. 

Lincoln scholar Harold Holzer; Elizabeth Barlow Rogers, NAOP Leadership Council member; and Morrison Heckscher, Chairman of the American Wing, Metropolitan Museum of Art.  

Congressman Tom Petri; Dede Petri, former NAOP trustee; Faye Harwell, NAOP trustee; and Charles Beveridge, FLO Papers Series Editor.   

Harold Holzer; Catherine Nagel, NAOP Executive Director; David Bahlman, NAOP Board Chair; and Jerry Baum, NAOP trustee. 

Maintaining Historic Urban Parks Workshop

November 5-8, 2007, Washington, D.C.

In partnership with the National Association for Olmsted Parks, the Olmsted Center for Landscape Preservation is coordinated a workshop on maintaining urban cultural landscapes. The workshop, was held the week of November 5, 2007, in Washington, D.C., at the National Zoo. The focus was the challenge of maintaining the features and design character of historic urban parks and landscapes. Presentations, site visits and discussion sessions covered topics such as: mitigating the effects of high visitor use; developing appropriate replacement strategies for aging features; rejuvenating deteriorated plants; protecting resources during special events; etc. For more information about future maintenance workshops, please contact NAOP at 202-223-9113 or send an e-mail to info@olmsted.org.

Christo and Jeanne-Claude Gates in Central Park 2005

Click for larger view

Photos by Sally Schwager.