The North Parlor

Fairsted's North Parlor

The North Parlor, often known as the Front Office, is where Olmsted first established his office. Until construction was completed on the rest of the office, the North Parlor would serve as the firms’ sole place of work. As their home became an office, Mary Olmsted grew tired of the constant bustle at her front door, and demanded a second entrance be put in. The North Parlor would separate the office from the rest of the home, and with seventy employees at the height of the firm, this was a busy office during its heyday. Even when renters took over the residential side of Fairsted, the North Parlor remained in use for the office. As the rest of the office would be completed, the North Parlor would serve as an office for Senior partners, including Olmsted himself. Though he grew up enjoying the landscape paintings of the Hudson River School, Olmsted himself was not a gifted artist. It was in the North Parlor that he would speak his ideas into existence and let others put pen to paper. The truly technical work was done upstairs.