Last updated: June 12, 2024
Place
Wright Brothers Hill
Olmsted Archives
Quick Facts
Location:
Dayton, OH
Significance:
Olmsted Designed Park
MANAGED BY:
Olmsted Brothers were hired in 1938 to assist in the design of Wright Brothers Hill. The hillside in the middle of the site, along with vegetation along the edges, separated the formal, symmetrical design at the top of the hill from the casual character of the lower area’s meadow. This subtle design technique keeps with the Olmstedian belief that potentially conflicting uses should be separated.
According to Olmsted Brothers’ original plans, an eight-foot path was to encircle the entire site. A grass pathway once encircled the site, but no longer exists due to the loss of shrubs that defined the path’s edge. Wright Brothers Hill exhibits several characteristics of Olmsted’s design philosophies and practices.
The diverse planting design combined with 100 different plant species at Wright Brothers Hill reflects the emphasis Olmsted placed on the liberal use of planting as a fundamental component of landscape design. A 1939 stock list specifies 8,181 plants for the site. Expansive lawns throughout the site, a large open meadow in the eastern portion of the site, and the dense tree and shrub plantings along the periphery and in specific other locations both define the spatial organization of the site and frame vistas into the larger landscape beyond.
The site’s balance of formal and informal areas follows Olmsted’s idea that “formal design was generally limited to…special gathering areas.” Today, the site retains its original Olmsted Brothers plan.
Source: "Wright Brothers Hill- Cultural Landscape Foundation," National Park Service
For more information and primary resources, please visit:
Olmsted Research Guide Online
Olmsted Archives on Flickr
According to Olmsted Brothers’ original plans, an eight-foot path was to encircle the entire site. A grass pathway once encircled the site, but no longer exists due to the loss of shrubs that defined the path’s edge. Wright Brothers Hill exhibits several characteristics of Olmsted’s design philosophies and practices.
The diverse planting design combined with 100 different plant species at Wright Brothers Hill reflects the emphasis Olmsted placed on the liberal use of planting as a fundamental component of landscape design. A 1939 stock list specifies 8,181 plants for the site. Expansive lawns throughout the site, a large open meadow in the eastern portion of the site, and the dense tree and shrub plantings along the periphery and in specific other locations both define the spatial organization of the site and frame vistas into the larger landscape beyond.
The site’s balance of formal and informal areas follows Olmsted’s idea that “formal design was generally limited to…special gathering areas.” Today, the site retains its original Olmsted Brothers plan.
Source: "Wright Brothers Hill- Cultural Landscape Foundation," National Park Service
For more information and primary resources, please visit:
Olmsted Research Guide Online
Olmsted Archives on Flickr