The History of Capitol Hill's Olmsted Parks with Historian Jennifer Ott
Time & Location
About the Event
Join us for a talk by historian Jennifer Ott, author of Olmsted in Seattle: Creating a Park System for a Modern City, about how the Olmsted Brothers' landscapes shaped Seattle’s character and continue to play a key role in the area’s livability today. This event is a collaboration between the University of Washington Press, Elliott Bay Book Company, and the Capitol Hill Historic Society. Free registration via the "Register" button is required for this Zoom event.
About the Book
In the midst of galloping growth at the turn of the 20th century, Seattle's city leaders seized on the confluence of a roaring economy with the City Beautiful movement and hired the Olmsted Brothers landscape architecture firm to design a park and parkway system. Their 1903 plan led to a supplemental plan, a playground plan, numerous park and boulevard designs, changes to park system management, and a ripple effect, as the Olmsted Brothers were hired to design public and private landscapes throughout the region. A number of parks and parkway on and around Capitol Hill originated with the Olmsted Brothers plans.
To purchase a copy of Olmsted in Seattle, visit Elliott Bay Book Company's website, where they are taking online orders for free delivery via media mail and curbside pickup.
About the Author
Jennifer Ott is an environmental historian and assistant director of HistoryLink. She has served on the board of the Friends of Seattle’s Olmsted Parks and the Volunteer Park Trust steering committee and is the coauthor of Waterway: The Story of Seattle’s Locks and Ship Canal.