Last updated: June 5, 2024
Place
Carriage Turn
Olmsted Archives
Quick Facts
Location:
Brookline, MA
Significance:
Olmsted Designed Feature
The Carriage Turn is the first section of the Fairsted landscape you can encounter. An air of mystery is created by a hillock in the center of the Carriage Turn, planted with a Canadian Hemlock, creepers, and vines. The Carriage Turn is a miniature version of Olmsted's larger parks, which often feature formal gates, followed by a promenade leading to a more rustic scenery.
When Olmsted purchased the property, the Clark family's driveway was linear, leading through what is now the South Lawn to a barn on the southwest corner of the property. To create a more practical, beautiful landscape, Olmsted moved the barn closer to the farmhouse, removed the old driveway, and built the Carriage Turn.
Horse-drawn carriages could enter and exit through the Carriage Turn without having to back up, dropping passengers right at the Olmsted's doorstep. The Carriage Turn also illustrates Olmsted's design principle of "separation"- creating a landscape element that divides the rustic and picturesque Hollow from the gently flowing, pastoral South Lawn. This small drive is "art in the round"- allowing visitors to catch glimpses of the Rock Garden, Hollow, and South Lawn.
The same spruce pole used in the archway is repeated in the fence surrounding the property. Malleable and made from natural materials, the fence provides what Olmsted deemed "the first and most essential element of a home...domestic seclusion." The loose-fitting poles create an airy screen that gives the yard both privacy and openness to the neighbors.
Source: "Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site," The Cultural Landscape Foundation
For more information and primary resources, please visit:
Olmsted Research Guide Online
Olmsted Archives on Flickr
Olmsted Online