Last updated: June 12, 2024
Place
Wellesley College
Olmsted Archives
Quick Facts
Frederick Law Olmsted Jr began his work at Wellesley College in 1902, providing a plan that accentuated the glacial topography of the area by grouping buildings on plateaus and edges, preserving the picturesque valleys. On his first visit to the campus, Olmsted Jr described the landscape as “not merely beautiful, but with a marked individual character not represented so far as I know on the ground of any other college in the country." He believed the glacial topography of the area gave the campus "its peculiar kind of intricate beauty."
It wasn’t until the 1920s that Olmsted would be invited to develop the campus. With firm member Arthur Shurcliff, the firm completed a master plan that rejected the Beaux Arts quadrangle campus that was popular during the time. Olmsted Jr used his father’s design philosophy to preserve the site’s natural beauty. Olmsted Jr advised Wellesley to preserve its meadows, valleys, native plan communities and beautiful lake.
Utilizing the natural configurations of the site, Olmsted Jr organized buildings into clusters, while framing the lake with quadrangles and courtyards. Meandering paths and boardwalks, lined with native and exotic vegetation, connected campus features while minimizing roads.
Source: "Wellesley College," The Cultural Landscape Foundation
For more information and primary resources, please visit:
Olmsted Research Guide Online
Olmsted Archives on Flickr
It wasn’t until the 1920s that Olmsted would be invited to develop the campus. With firm member Arthur Shurcliff, the firm completed a master plan that rejected the Beaux Arts quadrangle campus that was popular during the time. Olmsted Jr used his father’s design philosophy to preserve the site’s natural beauty. Olmsted Jr advised Wellesley to preserve its meadows, valleys, native plan communities and beautiful lake.
Utilizing the natural configurations of the site, Olmsted Jr organized buildings into clusters, while framing the lake with quadrangles and courtyards. Meandering paths and boardwalks, lined with native and exotic vegetation, connected campus features while minimizing roads.
Source: "Wellesley College," The Cultural Landscape Foundation
For more information and primary resources, please visit:
Olmsted Research Guide Online
Olmsted Archives on Flickr