FRIENDS OF SEATTLE'S OLMSTED PARKS

CELEBRATING OUR OLMSTED LEGACY

FSOP is a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving Seattle's unique Olmsted landscape heritage
and raising awareness of the Olmsted philosophy of providing open space for all people.

Upcoming Event

FROM PAST TO FUTURE: The AYP Legacy on Campus
Wednesday, December 2, 2009       Gould Hall Court, NE 40th St. & University Way, Seattle

As the year-long celebration of the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition centennial draws to an end, you are invited to attend a discussion about the future of the Olmsted and AYP legacy on the UW campus.
The Forum will be preceded by background presentations. Please join us.

Program Details

This program is FREE and open to the public and is made possible in part by a grant from Humanities Washington
and support from UW College of Built Environments and Friends of Seattle’s Olmsted Parks

“The magnificent views of Mt. Rainier and other mountains and of Lake Union will, however, be by far the greatest features of the exposition and will be vividly remembered by most visitors when the best efforts of architects and landscape gardeners have been forgotten.” John Charles Olmsted,Alaska-Yukon Magazine - November 1906

 


Olmsted Legacy of the A-Y-P at
University of Washington Campus

Friends of Seattle's Olmsted Parks
Free Walking Tours
(Registration Required)

Last Saturdays ~ April-September 2009 ~ 10am-Noon

invite
Friends of Seattle’s Olmsted Parks is leading free walking tours to explore the Olmsted legacy of the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition and the evolution of the University of Washington campus. The Olmsted Brothers, the renowned landscape architecture firm from Brookline, Mass., prepared campus plans for the University and designed the layout and landscape for the 1909 A-Y-P Exposition. The tours will start with a slide presentation to give an overview of the development of this legacy. The first walking tour on April 25 will start at Cunningham Hall (on Stevens Way near 40th Street entrance) - one of the few remaining structures from the A-Y-P Exposition. Cunningham Hall will close for moving in May 2009, so tours May through September will start at the Burke Museum. Space is limited for the tours, so please reserve your place at Friends@SeattleOlmsted.org or call 425-885-3173.

 

The centennial program of Friends of Seattle’s Olmsted Parks includes walking tours, presentations and the Olmsted Legacy brochure which are made possible in part by a grant from Humanities Washington, a state-wide non-profit organization supported by the National Endowments for the Humanities, the state of Washington, and contributions from individuals and foundations. The starting locations for the walking tours are provided courtesy of the UW’s Cunningham Hall Women’s Center and the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture.

Program supported in part by a grant from

 

Additional Friends of Seattle’s Olmsted Parks
Events for the A-Y-P Centennial

 

Step Back in Time:
Stroll an Historic Garden. See an Historic Ship.
Dunn Gardens June 5 & 6, 2009

As part of the Dunn Gardens program, FSOP will speak on the Olmsted design of the A-Y-P grounds
and the tie to private estates and gardens.
Info: dunngardens.org

 

Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Symposium
Historic Seattle/MOHAI/FSOP June 20 & 21, 2009

This symposium, hosted at MOHAI, will set the stage for understanding the A-Y-P Exposition in the context of previous and subsequent fairs and important nationwide civic and parks movements.
Info and registration: historicseattle.org

FSOP EVENTS FOR A-Y-P CENTENNIAL

April 25      A-Y-P Walk (Filled)
May 30      A-Y-P Walks (10:00 am at Burke Museum)
June 5 and 6      A-Y-P Talks at Dunn Garden
June 20 and 21      Historic Seattle/MOHAI/FSOP Symposium
June 27      A-Y-P Walk (10:00 am at Burke Museum)
July 25      A-Y-P Walk (10:00 am at Burke Museum)
August 29      A-Y-P Walk (10:00 am at Burke Museum)
September 26       A-Y-P Walk (10:00 am at Burke Museum)

REGISTRATION FOR EVENTS

FSOP Walks at:
Friends@SeattleOlmsted.org or 425-885-3173
(limit 40 spaces)

June 20-21 Symposium at:
HistoricSeattle.org or 206-622-6952

FSOP has published a 12-page A-Y-P Centennial News with reprints of historic newspaper articles on the development
of the Olmsted plans for Seattle’s park system and the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exhibition. The Centennial News will be
available at various venues throughout the centennial year including the University of Washington Visitors Center.
A PDF of the first two pages may be viewed by clicking the thumbnails.
1 2

Current Issues

Friends of Seattle Olmsted Parks is Recruiting New Board Members
The Board of Friends of Seattle Olmsted Parks (FSOP) is currently looking for new board members.
Candidates should have a strong background in landscape architecture, planning, historic and cultural preservation
or horticulture. For those who are interested in stewardship of Seattle's landscape heritage with a particular
focus on Seattle's park system and in building the awareness of our Olmsted legacy both public and private,
please contact Brooks Kolb at 206-324-0858, brooks@brookskolbllc.com

Upcoming Resources
We are currently working on the FSOP web pages. If there is specific information you would like to see on
our website, please let us know. Click here to send an email to the webmaster.

We plan to develop pages including:

 Contact FSOP
We would love to hear from you about any ideas for projects in your local neighborhood Olmsted landscapes!
Click Here to contact us about being added to our mailing list or to request specific printed materials.

Recent Projects and Archives


Olmsted Bike Tour Maps

2003 Olmsted Centennial Celebration

1903-2003
Celebrating 100 years of Seattle's Olmsted Legacy...
and planning for the century to come!

 Over 75 partner and sponsor organizations came to gather to host a fantastic year of lectures, tours, conferences, walks and projects.

For information about the cenetennial and to see our list of partners and sponsors, please click below.

For copies of printed materials and press pieces, please contact FSOP

 

2003 NAOP NATIONAL CONFERENCE

Seattle, April 30th - May 4th, 2003
Our Olmsted Legacy:
Learning from the Past, Inspiring the Future

 FSOP hosted the National Association for Olmsted Parks national conference here in Seattle. It was a huge success with over 200 local and national participants turning out to discuss and envision the future of parks and open space in the Puget Sound region and across the country.

(For information about the conference,
please click on the link below)

To request conference information, contact FSOP