By the 1880s, many local landowners with the desire for a public park would donate their own property for this purpose. In 1888, Rochester, New York’s Board of Park Commissioners had acquired land from locals and hired Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux to develop a comprehensive park system. Olmsted and Vaux proposed three large parks, ranging from 20 to 800-acres, with the hope of capturing the area’s landscape characteristics and scenery.
After their father’s death, Olmsted Brothers would continue work on the Rochester Park System. In 1911, Frederick Law Olmsted Jr recommended additional neighborhood parks, reservations, and parkways. Olmsted Brothers continued to consult on Rochester’s Park development until 1915, when the city parks department was replaced by an independent board of park commissioners. In addition to the Louisville Park System, Rochester is the only park system where all three Olmsted’s were involved in planning and design.
Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service