Last updated: June 8, 2024
Place
Ophir Farm
Olmsted Archives
Quick Facts
Location:
White Plains, NY
Significance:
Olmsted Designed Landscape
MANAGED BY:
Privately Owned
When Whitelaw Reid purchased Ophir Farm in 1887, he hired Frederick Law Olmsted to create plans not only for the landscape of the outdoor space, but as well as the architecture for farm buildings. Having spent some time running his own farm on Staten Island, Olmsted viewed himself as an experienced farmer, and was particularly interested in designing Ophir Farm.
Olmsted’s time spent as a farmer shaped his approach to Ophir farm. Unfortunately, Olmsted had created such an elaborate design for the barns, that when the Reid’s opened their grand estate in 1892, the barns were still not completed.
Reid had already acquired the professional help of architects McKim, Mead & White, who he wrote to at the end of 1892, stating that his “fear is that under the inspiration of Mr. Olmsted and with general tendencies of architects, he may be giving me a much finer thing than I want or rather much finer than I want to pay for”.
Six years after Reid had asked Olmsted to choose a site and sketch plans for the farm building, construction of the barn began. Through 1895 the work proceeded without any delays, in part because Mead took over as chief architect when Olmsted fell ill. Today, remnants of Olmsted’s grand barn still exist.
Source: "Whitelaw Reid," Olmsted Online
For more information and primary resources, please visit:
Olmsted Research Guide Online
Olmsted Archives on Flickr
Olmsted’s time spent as a farmer shaped his approach to Ophir farm. Unfortunately, Olmsted had created such an elaborate design for the barns, that when the Reid’s opened their grand estate in 1892, the barns were still not completed.
Reid had already acquired the professional help of architects McKim, Mead & White, who he wrote to at the end of 1892, stating that his “fear is that under the inspiration of Mr. Olmsted and with general tendencies of architects, he may be giving me a much finer thing than I want or rather much finer than I want to pay for”.
Six years after Reid had asked Olmsted to choose a site and sketch plans for the farm building, construction of the barn began. Through 1895 the work proceeded without any delays, in part because Mead took over as chief architect when Olmsted fell ill. Today, remnants of Olmsted’s grand barn still exist.
Source: "Whitelaw Reid," Olmsted Online
For more information and primary resources, please visit:
Olmsted Research Guide Online
Olmsted Archives on Flickr