Winter 2023 Offerings
Wednesday, March 8, 12 pm
World's End Walk
Join us for a walking tour exploring the history and nature of this magnificant Trustees of Reservations property. For more information and to register, click here.
Saturday, March 25, 11 am
Olmsted at Play in the Playgrounds
Join us for a walk around Newton Centre Playground, intially conceived by Frederick Law Olmsted, but executed by his successors in Olmsted Brothers. We will discuss the design intentions of play at the Playground, as well as other Olmsted designs in Newton. Register here.
Saturday, April 29, 11 am
Spring Family Wonder (Junior Ranger Program)
Bring your family for a guided walk and discover the Middlesex Fells accompanied by staff from Olmsted NHS. Uncover the area's unique design with hands-on activities that illustrates the Olmsted and Elliot vision. Register here.
The Olmsted bicentennial year isn't over yet!
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Explore Fairsted's calendar to learn more about exciting events happening at the site, and around Brookline and Boston.
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More to come soon and be sure to follow us on social media (@olmstednhs).
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Learn more about the greater Boston effort: Olmsted Now and the national effort: Olmsted 200.
RECENT PROGRAMMING
Saturday, December 11, 1:00-4:00, Brookline, MA
Holiday Open House
Join us at Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site for our Holiday Open House! The grounds and house will be dressed for the holidays, and we'll have refreshments and holiday music. Come ring in the holidays before Fairsted closes for the Winter.
Saturday November 5, 1:00-3:00 pm, Brookline, MA
Olmsted Now Celebration and Open House
Join Olmsted NHS, Emerald Necklace Conservancy, and over 150 partners for an afternoon of gratitude and sharing. Discover some of the many events, projects, and successes of the greater Boston bicentennial commemoration, explore the design office at your own pace, and meet some stewards, champions, and fans of Olmsted-designed landscape throughout the area.
Saturday, November 5, 10:00 am, Brookline, MA
Frederick Law Olmsted: Designing a Community to Live in
Enjoy a walk through through the town Olmsted called home and learn more about Aspinwall Hill, Corey Hill, and Fisher Hill, three Brookline neighborhoods designed by Frederick Law Olmsted.
Saturday, October 29, North Easton Time TBD
"Brother-Artists" Olmsted and Richardson in North Easton
Join us for a walk through the town of North Easton, Massachusetts, as we discuss the collaborations of Frederick Law Olmsted and Henry Hobson Richardson, who a mutual friend referred to as 'brother-artists."
Saturday, October 22, 3:30-4:30 pm, Charlestown Navy Yard
Two Youths Before the Mast: the seafaring adventures of Richard Henry Dana, Jr. and Frederick Law Olmsted
Influenced by Richard Henry Dana's Two Years Before the Mast, Frederick Law Olmsted's stint as a sailor changed both his career path and personal philosophy. Ranger William will compare and contrast the two men's experience aboard ship and how it affected their personal growth and development.
Sunday, October 16, 2:00 pm, Fresh Pond Reservation
"Unbending of the Mind" at Fresh Pond
Explore areas of Fresh Pond Reservation and discuss the history of the space and an overview of Olmsted's philosophy about nature’s effect on the mind and mental health. Offered in partnership with the City of Cambridge.
Thursday, October 13, 4:30pm, Franklin Park
A Certain Oppression of Town Life: Franklin Park and the Aesthetics of Open Space
Often viewed as one of Frederick Law Olmsted's most significant designs alongside Central and Prospect Park, Franklin Park is the largest gem of the Emerald Necklace and a late-career example of Olmsted's fascination with "rural beauty." In this walk, participants will gain a clearer understanding of the radicalness of this greensward in the growing city, guided by archival photographs of the park in the 1890s and Olmsted's own words from the design process.
Sunday, October 9, 10am, Boston Common
Protected Sites- what makes a park?
Have you ever wondered how a site becomes part of the National Park Service? What does it even mean to be part of the NPS?
Come discover how the Olmsteds had generational impacts on the creation of the National Park Service, the steps it takes to create a national park, historic site, seashore, or battlefield, and what NPS sites are in and around the Boston area.
Sunday, September 25 9:00, Fairsted
National Public Lands Day- a day of volunteering and discovery!
Sunday, July 31, 8:00 pm, 99 Warren St, Brookline
Movie Night on the South Lawn: Free Solo
Wednesday, June 15, 10:00- 11:30 am
"Olmsted, Yosemite, Civil War, Abolition, and the National Park Idea"- a discussion with author Ethan Carr, and landscape architect Stephen Gray as part of King Boston Embrace Ideas Festival.
Tuesday, June 14, 1:30-3:00 pm, Franklin Park Golf Clubhouse
From Greensward to Putting Greens: Frederick Law Olmsted’s Influence on Golf Course Architecture
Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux’s “Greensward Plan” for Central Park both inspired the American park movement and provided the catalyst for the establishment of landscape architecture as a profession. Golf course design, whether for public or private use, combines knowledge of landscape architecture with understanding the unique requirements of a challenging game.
In line with the 200th anniversary of Olmsted’s birth, and during US Open Week at The Country Club, in Brookline, MA, of which Olmsted was a member, join National Park Service staff and four prominent members of the American Society of Golf Course Architects for a lively discussion of how Olmsted’s principles have influenced course design and shaped the profession of golf course architecture.
Offered in partnership with Strawn & Sampson and Friends of Fairsted.
This discussion will be in line for the U.S. Open Championship June 13 to 19 hosted at The Country Club in Brookline.
Our sister site, John Fitzgerald Kennedy National Historic Site, will also join in on the celebration, with JFK being the avid golfer he was.
Saturday, June 4, 2:00 pm, Fairsted's South Lawn
Lungs of the City
A concert presented at JUVENTAS NEW MUSIC ENSEMBLE honoring the bicentennial of Frederick Law Olmsted. The legendary landscape architect inspired a nation, with greenspaces that became part of the American fabric. Lungs of the City: Olmsted’s Parks in Music, a cross-regional concert series of World Premieres co-curated and co-commissioned by American Wild Ensemble, Juventas New Music Ensemble, Landscape Music, and Michigan Technological University Department of Visual and Performing Arts. This project is a Celebration Partner of Olmsted 200.
No registration required.
Saturday, May 21, 8:00 pm, Fairsted's South Lawn
Movie Night: The Greatest Game Ever Played
Join the Olmsted NHS and Brookline Adult & Community Education for a public screening of The Greatest Game Ever Played (Rated PG). A Disney movie based on Brookline’s Francis Ouimet, who won the U.S. Open in 1913. Pull up a blanket, pack a picnic, and enjoy the entertainment, history, and excitement of the U.S. Open! Generously Sponsored by The Chobee Hoy Group at COMPASS.
April 26, 6:30 pm, Jamaica Pond Boathouse
Frederick Law Olmsted Sr.’s 200th birthday.
Join us at Jamaica Pond Boathouse, Boston for a toast honoring Olmsted.
Birthday Events are scheduled around the country, but keep an eye here to see how we will celebrate at Fairsted. Follow us on social media (Facebook, Instagram, YouTube) for special video releases.
March 30 to April 2, 2022, Boston Society for Architecture
Olmsteds: Landscapes and Legacies
Frederick Law Olmsted NHS in partnership with the National Center for Preservation Technology and Training (NCPTT), hosts a three-day symposium, held in Boston, home to the Emerald Necklace, Olmsted’s last great public project.
September 25, 2021
National Public Lands Day- Weed Warriors
Join us in celebrating Public Lands day and volunteer for a fun day of stewardship at the Green Hill Property. Volunteers will help restore and maintain our Green Hill Property by removing invasive plants such as Porcelain berry and Canada thistle, as well as pitching in with stewardship tasks like mulching and weeding.
The Green Hill parcel is 5 acres of land neighboring Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site that is integral to the story of the Olmsteds in Brookline. Our natural resources team works on restoring the New England meadow that once bordered Fairsted's South Lawn. While weeding, learn about how our work will impact the future of the site.
September 26, 6:30 pm
Movie Night on the South Lawn
Pop your popcorn, pull up a blanket, and enjoy a screening of Hoot on Fairsted’s South Lawn. Celebrate the conservation work of Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr. of the Everglades in Florida with New Line Cinema's Hoot featuring kids taking on crooked politicians and greedy developers to save endangered owls threatened by a construction project. Rated PG, Run time 91 minutes.
It's free to join and registration is not required.
Saturday, October 2, 11 am
Growing Up Kennedy: A Neighborhood Walk
Join us as we explore the neighborhood where JFK grew up for the first ten years of his life. The tour is approximately one hour long and will meet in front of John Fitzgerald Kennedy NHS (83 Beals Street, Brookline, MA.) Total walking distance is 1.8 miles.
Saturday, October 9, 9 am
Jamaica Pond Photo Walk
Bring your camera and capture the vibrant fall colors in the morning light as we explore the history of this Olmsted landscape. Talking walking distance is approximately 1.5 miles.
Saturday, October 16, 1pm
Growing Up Kennedy: A Neighborhood Walk
Join us as we explore the neighborhood where JFK grew up for the first ten years of his life. The tour is approximately one hour long and will meet in front of John Fitzgerald Kennedy NHS (83 Beals Street, Brookline, MA.) Total walking distance is 1.8 miles.
Saturday, October 23, 10 am
"Brother-Artists" Olmsted and Richardson
Join us for a short walk and talk about the collaboration and friendship between the famous Brookline locals, landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted and architect H.H. Richardson, at their shared design of the Thomas Crane Library and its grounds.
Saturday, October 30, 10 am and 2 pm
The Well-Equipped Witch: The Science of Sorcery
Come take a walk around the Fairsted Grounds and see the plants used in traditional witchcraft and learn about the scientific basis for their use. Also learn about using plants to protect yourself from any witches (and there probably will be a few) lurking in the shrubbery!
Saturday, November 13, 1 pm
A Walk through the Back Bay
Walk through the Back Bay Fens, and learn about the project that first brought Frederick Law Olmsted to Boston, and why he chose to stay.
Saturday, November 20, 10 am
BARK Ranger in Franklin Park
Join our walk in the wildnerness of Franklin Park and have a positive experience with your pet. Learn about the B.A.R.K. principles so you and your pet can have a seafe and fun visit anytime you are in an Olmsted (or non) park. This program is part of the Healthy People Healthy Parks Initiative. B.A.R.K. stands for Bag your pet’s waste Always leash your pet Respect wildlife Know where you can go.
Saturday, November 27, 1 pm
Learn and Burn: Blue Hills
Lace up your hiking boots and traverse the Blue Hills while discovering the design and conservation of the tallest mountain within 10 miles of the Atlantic Ocean.
Thursday, December 2, 2021 7:00–8:30pm (EST)
FRIENDS OF FAIRSTED LECTURE SERIES
Beauty, Efficiency, and Economy: A Life of Frederick Law Olmsted Jr., Landscape Architect, Planner and Conservationist
A talk by Elizabeth Hope Cushing, landscape historian
Programs - Friends of Fairsted
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