Last updated: June 20, 2024
Place
Boca Grande Land Company
Olmsted Archives
Quick Facts
Location:
Boca Grande, FL
Significance:
Olmsted Designed Suburban Community
In 1911, the Boca Grande Land Company hired Carl Rust Parker to help develop plans for the new town and a hotel to match, now the historic Gasparilla Inn. Parker had previously worked for Olmsted Brothers, however between 1910 and 1919, he was working independently.
Despite leaving the Olmsted Firm, Parker’s work followed the Olmsted philosophy that all designed spaces should have a coherent character. In the years after Parker’s involvement, little was done to maintain the landscape, and the appearance of the whole area had begun to deteriorate.
In late 1924, Frederick Law Olmsted Jr. visited the Boca Grande Land Company, writing a nine-page report of the scenery. Olmsted Jr. would visit again in 1925, working to preserve the village Parker had designed, and retouch the beachfront areas.
Olmsted Brothers worked to reinvigorate the area, dealing with the smallest of details like what color to paint the new school, and where bird baths should be placed. The design included moving a boat house to preserve a line of mangroves.
The biggest challenge at Boca Grande was the relocation of the railroad, with Olmsted Jr. writing extensively on where the proposed county road should go. Today’s county road and railroad follow Olmsted Jr.’s plan, lined with the native plants he had envisioned.
Source: "Lost History Uncovered: Olmsted's Forgotten Village," The Cultural Landscape Foundation
For more information and primary resources, please visit:
Olmsted Research Guide Online
Olmsted Archives on Flickr
Despite leaving the Olmsted Firm, Parker’s work followed the Olmsted philosophy that all designed spaces should have a coherent character. In the years after Parker’s involvement, little was done to maintain the landscape, and the appearance of the whole area had begun to deteriorate.
In late 1924, Frederick Law Olmsted Jr. visited the Boca Grande Land Company, writing a nine-page report of the scenery. Olmsted Jr. would visit again in 1925, working to preserve the village Parker had designed, and retouch the beachfront areas.
Olmsted Brothers worked to reinvigorate the area, dealing with the smallest of details like what color to paint the new school, and where bird baths should be placed. The design included moving a boat house to preserve a line of mangroves.
The biggest challenge at Boca Grande was the relocation of the railroad, with Olmsted Jr. writing extensively on where the proposed county road should go. Today’s county road and railroad follow Olmsted Jr.’s plan, lined with the native plants he had envisioned.
Source: "Lost History Uncovered: Olmsted's Forgotten Village," The Cultural Landscape Foundation
For more information and primary resources, please visit:
Olmsted Research Guide Online
Olmsted Archives on Flickr