Frederick Law Olmsted Prospect Park

Hey everyone, welcome back to *Brooklyn Echoes*, the podcast that keeps the borough’s legends and memories alive. I’m your host, Robert Henriksen.

Frederick Law Olmsted, often hailed as the father of American landscape architecture, collaborated with Calvert Vaux to design Prospect Park in Brooklyn, New York, creating a masterful urban oasis that refined their earlier work on Central Park. Commissioned in 1865 by the Brooklyn Parks Commissioners amid the city’s rapid growth, the park transformed 585 acres of rocky farmland and forest into a public space emphasizing naturalistic beauty and recreation. Construction began on July 1, 1866, under the leadership of James S.T. Stranahan, president of the Prospect Park Commission, who envisioned it as a “resort for all classes” offering fresh air and exercise. This followed an initial, smaller plan by Egbert L. Viele, which was scrapped in favor of Olmsted and Vaux’s more ambitious vision. The park opened in phases starting in 1867, with full completion by the mid-1870s, drawing over 100,000 visitors in its first full year despite ongoing work.

Olmsted handled the overall conceptual design, while Vaux focused on architectural details, drawing inspiration from pastoral landscapes like England’s Birkenhead Park and American sites such as Mount Auburn Cemetery. The layout divided the park into three distinct zones to create varied experiences: an open pastoral area centered on the 90-acre Long Meadow, a sweeping grassy expanse of hilly pastures and former peat bogs designed for expansive views and informal recreation; a wooded section featuring the Ravine, a steep gorge preserving Brooklyn’s “last forest” with old-growth trees in the Midwood area; and a waterside zone anchored by the 60-acre artificial Prospect Lake, fed by a man-made watercourse that includes waterfalls like Fallkill Falls, interconnected ponds (such as Upper and Lower Pools, Ambergill Pond, and Binnenwater), and the meandering Lullwater stream. Meandering paths, scenic lookouts, and rustic bridges—like the triple-span Nethermead Arch—enhance the illusion of vast rural space within an urban setting, with elements such as grouped trees, shelters, and preserved natural topography (e.g., Lookout Hill for panoramic vistas) promoting tranquility and exploration.

Compared to Central Park, which was constrained by a narrow rectangular site and an existing reservoir, Prospect Park benefited from a more flexible terrain with pre-existing old-growth forests, allowing Olmsted and Vaux to integrate greater naturalism and uninterrupted green spaces. They routed roads around the edges to minimize disruption, refined the separation of pedestrian, equestrian, and carriage paths, and emphasized a “rural-resort” aesthetic tailored to Brooklyn’s needs. Olmsted himself considered it his proudest achievement around 1882, calling it “thoroughly delightful.”

Over time, the park has evolved—initially statue-free by Olmsted’s preference, it later added memorials like the nation’s first Abraham Lincoln statue—while retaining core elements through restorations by the Prospect Park Alliance since 1987. Today, it attracts over 10 million visitors annually, blending historical rustic charm with modern amenities.

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