landscape architecture

[Sketch plan for landscaping the grounds of the President's House, ca....

Title from accompanying photocopied pages. Drawn by different hands. Attributed variously to Benjamin Latrobe, Robert Mills, and Thomas Jefferson. Pen-and-ink with lead pencil additions. Soiled, wrinkled, fold-... More

Boxwood Gardens - National Parks Gallery

Montrose Park. It is unknown when the Boxwood Gardens were first planted. There is speculation that English landscape designer John Small first designed this feature in the 1850s. It seems that an intricate des... More

Study for a Watertower - Architectural drawing, public domain image

Public domain photo of a monument, historic place, free to use, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description

Suggestion for the improvement of Muddy River and for completing a con...

Originally part of the Back Bay salt marsh, the narrow, tidal Muddy River formed the boundary between Boston and Brookline. By 1880, urban growth had taken its toll, and the once-flowing tributary was notorious... More

Franklin D. Roosevelt home: Old Barn

Bellefield. When Thomas Newbold acquired the property in 1885, only the Mansion and the Old Barn existed. The barn was most likely built in the early 1800s. It was used to store hay and contained three horse s... More

Frederick Law Olmsted Papers: 1975 Addition, 1821-1924; Financial pape...

Frederick Law Olmsted Papers: 1975 Addition, 1821-1924; Financial pape...

Frederick Law Olmsted Papers: 1975 Addition, 1821-1924; Financial pape...

Shadow Brook drive, Lenox, Massachusetts

Picryl description: Public domain image of a park, trees, outdoors, free to use, no copyright restrictions.

Shadow Brook: near view porte cochêre, Lenox, Massachusetts

Picryl description: Public domain image of a victorian era building, victorian house, 19th century architecture, free to use, no copyright restrictions.

Contributing Site Furnishings - National Parks Gallery

Montrose Park. During early park development, seventeen "Newport" gas lamps were installed. Historic photographs show benches and tables of varying materials, positioned to offer a view. The gas lamps are the o... More

[A Newport house and garden] The hall from the library

Public domain image of a large historic building, city hall, urban architecture, free to use, no copyright restrictions - Picryl description

[A Newport house and garden] The drawing room.

Public domain scan of architectural drawing, architecture, free to use, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description

Bellefield Mansion from Main Entry Drive

Bellefield. The mansion was one of the structures existing on the property when Thomas Newbold gained ownership. It was originally built by Judge John Johnston as a Federal style house in 1795-96. It was renova... More

Historic Period Plan of Montrose Park, 1919

Montrose Park. The historic period plan from the Cultural Landscape Report shows how the landscape appeared in 1919. The Cultural Landscape Inventory proposes two periods of significance: 1804-1911, the years w... More

Beatrix Farrand Garden Paths - Public domain drawing

Bellefield. Circulation was a strong component of the design of Beatrix Farrand's Formal Garden. While her plan has not been found, photos show a rectilinear path system. The layout of the gardens and paths cre... More

Spatial Organization - National Parks Gallery

Montrose Park. A map from the Cultural Landscape Report show the spatial organization of the landscape. Historically, the southern portion of the estate property was organized in a formal layout with the Federa... More

Boxwood Garden Drawings - National Parks Gallery

Montrose Park. Above is Burnap's 1913 drawing of the Boxwood Gardens. Below, Payne's 1922 drawing of the "Revised Rose Garden." There is evidence that Payne prepared a simplified plan of the earlier boxwood lay... More

A View into the Historic Landscape of Montrose Park

Montrose Park. The Ropewalk, Osage orange trees, and the edge of the boxwood garden help to connect the features of the landscape and connect its identity as an estate with its use as a public park. The Ropewal... More

View of the Walker Visitor & Education Center from Bellefield Mansion

Bellefield. The historic view from the rear of Bellefield was significantly diminished with the addition of the Wallace Visitor & Education Center and parking lot in 2000. Located in the southwest corner of the... More

Guard Walls and the Park Road System

Crater Rim Historic District. All of the guard walls constructed along Crater Rim Drive conformed to the specifications for the Type 2 guard wall developed by the NPS landscape department. The plan for the loop... More

Naturalistic Road Design - National Parks Gallery

Crater Rim Historic District. Rock cuts in the dark volcanic rock to the west of the park headquarters are designed to look like natural rock outcroppings. Rock cuts vary in character along the road's length de... More

Remnants of Retaining Walls along Crater Rim Drive

Crater Rim Historic District. Several remnants of retaining walls mark former road alignments of Crater Rim Drive. The walls are mostly hidden by dense vegetation near the current road south of Thurston Lava Tu... More

Subalpine Forest along Rim Drive

Rim Drive Historic District. The area is host to Shasta red fir, mountain hemlock, lodgepole pine, and subalpine fir. Subalpine fir is mixed with other conifers in many of the forest meadows and open parklands.... More

Franklin D. Roosevelt home: Entrance Drive

Bellefield. The U-shaped main entrance drive leads to the Colonial Revival style mansion. The formal character of the estate was reinforced by the Main Entrance Drive. It is thought that the road was laid out b... More

View of the Parking Area near Cleetwood Cove

Rim Drive Historic District. The Cleetwood Cove Parking Area/Trailhead was built as part of an effort to move the main trail connecting Crater Lake and Rim Village to a site requiring 200 less vertical feet of ... More

Trail to the Watchman Overlook - Public Domain image, National Parks G...

Rim Drive Historic District. The design and alignment of the road is closely connected to the natural topography and landforms. The winding road blends into the challenging topography, which is characterized by... More

A View to Crater Lake Along the Rim Drive

Rim Drive Historic District. This contemporary image along Crater Lake National Park's Rim Drive illustrates how the landscape design continues to support visitor access and enjoyment. Observation stations, low... More

Skell Head Pullout - National Parks Gallery

Rim Drive Historic District. Skell Head is one of the original observation stations that contribute to the district, and it is the largest of all the parking overlooks. Plant diversity is low due to almost ster... More

Good Neighbors: Students Discussing a Design Tool

Good Neighbors participants discuss a historic design tool.

Formal Garden with Elm - Public Domain image, National Parks Gallery

Bellefield. The formal garden extends from the south end of the mansion. It is maintained to reflect the original character of the garden based on historic photos. Designed by Beatrix Farrand, it is open in cha... More

View along the Ropewalk - Public Domain image, National Parks Gallery

Montrose Park. The view down the Ropewalk from the R Street entrance appears much as it did during the period of significance. It it a strong visual axis, lined by a row of mature Osage orange trees and bordere... More

Map of Montrose Park and Surrounding Area

Montrose Park. A map of Montrose Park, or US Reservation 324, shows the surrounding area of Washington, D.C. The neighborhood park serves the Georgetown community, bordered by R Street to the south. It is betwe... More

Daylighting Along Rim Drive - Public Domain image, National Parks Gall...

Rim Drive Historic District. The impacts of road-building were mitigated through the process of daylighting, which is the act of creating rounded slopes from cut and fill operations. Fills and daylighted slopes... More

Allee on Main Entry Road - Public Domain image, National Parks Gallery

Bellefield. The formal appearance of the front of the property continues to be an important aspect of Bellefield's historic character. Many plants and vegetative features from the period of significance continu... More

Non-Contributing Small Scale Features at Montrose Park

Montrose Park. A) Contemporary bench with cast iron frame and wooden slates; B) Sarah Louisa Rittenhouse Memorial; C) Fenced-in play area. These small scale features do not contribute to the significance of the... More

Cottage Rocks Overlook - National Parks Gallery

Rim Drive Historic District. Cottage Rocks Overlook is along Rim Drive below the north end of Cloudcap. Aside from the absence of a planting bed, it resembles the other six substations by having the original ma... More

Vegetation around the Volcano House

Crater Rim Historic District. Vegetation is a major character-defining feature throughout the district. Early park planners put great thought into the role of vegetation in the park landscape, and Master Plans ... More

Formal Road Frontage - National Parks Gallery

Bellefield. The formal area surrounding the mansion and facing the road is dominated by a sweeping lawn, tree-lined entry drive, and views of the Colonial Revival style mansion. Although its function has change... More

Historic and Non-Historic Pathways

Montrose Park. A) Lovers' Lane corridor; B) Brick-lined asphalt path leading from the Summerhouse; C) Worn access road and path from Lovers' Lane. The estate era's circulation system was integrated into the pub... More

Haleakala Crater from the Halemau'u Trail

CCC Haleakala Crater Trails District. A view of the Haleakala Crater from the Halemau'u Trail. Here, the trail crosses Rainbow Bridge, a natural feature of the landscape that was improved by the CCC during the ... More

Natural and Designed Vegetation at the Volcano House

Crater Rim Historic District. The district contains a combination of naturally-occurring and planted vegetation, sometimes in the same space like in this example from the landscape around the Volcano House. Des... More

View of Rim Drive near Discovery Point

Rim Drive Historic District. The Wizard Island Overlook is one of the contributing substations along the route. These parking overlooks, part of the design by Francis Lange in the 1930s, were intended to enhanc... More

Good Neighbors: Learning about Duplicating Plans

Students listen to an explanation of a historic printing process for landscape plans.

View of Rim Drive from Mount Scott

Rim Drive Historic District. In this view from Mount Scott, Rim Drive and Cloudcap spur road wind over the hilly terrain. The sub-alpine environment is characterized by open meadows, scattered conifer groves, a... More

Planting Bed at Kerr Notch - Public Domain image, National Parks Galle...

Rim Drive Historic District. Although it is now denuded of vegetation, this small planting bed lined in stone is an example of the the use of vegetation in the landscape design. Although these overlook planting... More

Good Neighbors: Asking About Item in Design Office

A student asks a question about a design tool in the historic Olmsted design office.

Headwall above a Culvert - Public Domain image, National Parks Gallery

Crater Rim Historic District. Several culverts, including this one with a dry-stacked retaining wall above it, remain along the Uwekahuna-Bird Park Road Trace. The road is managed as an archeological resource b... More

View of the Rim Drive around Mile 15.1

Rim Drive Historic District. This segment of the road, between Grotto Cove and Kerr Notch, winds around glacial valleys. The landscape is open, offering expansive views into the Klamath Valley. Minimal repairs... More

Island of Vegetation at Sentinal Rock Substation

Rim Drive Historic District. Vegetation was an important component of the design and development of the Rim Drive landscape. The plantings aimed to "naturalize" areas disturbed by construction. The plantings al... More

Cloudcap Spur Road - National Parks Gallery

Rim Drive Historic District. Segment 7-C of Rim Drive, from Grotto Cove to Kerr Notch, includes the Cloudcap Overlook spur road. Here, the landscape is open with expansive views of the Klamath Valley. This is o... More

Ellicott Arch leading to the start of the 99 Steps

Separating walkers from the carriage road above, the Ellicott Arch is a classic example of Olmsted's idea of "separation", which dealt not only with transportation, but use of different areas. In the case of Fr... More

Reflection Point Substation - National Parks Gallery

Rim Drive Historic District. Each substation along this section of road offers a distinctively different view of Crater Lake, while the intervening roadway also allows for impressive views including Mount Scott... More

Boxwood Gardens, 1916 - National Parks Gallery

Montrose Park. The appearance of the Boxwood Gardens around 1916, along with the newly-constructed Pergola.

Cloudcap Observation Station - National Parks Gallery

Rim Drive Historic District. Cloudcap is the highest point along Rim Drive, the observation station located at the terminus of a spur road that diverges from the main circuit. It ends in a one-way loop that pas... More

Entrance Ellipse and Summerhouse Paths

Montrose Park. At left is Landscape Architect Horace Peaslee's 1917 design for the Entrance Ellipse and relocated Summerhouse. A) Flagstone steps leading to the Entrance Ellipse; B) Brick paved Entrance Ellipse... More

Non-Contributing Vegetation - National Parks Gallery

Montrose Park. Vegetation features that do not contribute to the historic significance include plantings added after the period of significance (1919). However, these can still be compatible with the historic c... More

Stockbridge Bowl from "Shadow Brook", St. Stanislaus' Novitiate, Lenox...

Public domain photo of vintage Massachusetts postcard, 19th century, free to use, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description.

Cold Frames - National Parks Gallery

Bellefield. Cold frames (hot beds) were most likely added during the Morgan tenure (1929-1975). Located near the Pump House, these were used and maintained by the gardener on the property. The two frames were c... More

Culvert and Stone Embankment - Public Domain image, National Parks Gal...

Crater Rim Historic District. The raised roadbed with culvert and mortared-stone embankment are located in the Southwest Rift Zone. Asphalt covers the top of the embankment, indicating successive road pavings. ... More

Grotto Cove Substation - National Parks Gallery

Rim Drive Historic District. This segment of the road was constructed in the mid-1930s. Road crews graded and widened the road, constructed masonry guardrails, installed log barriers, and surfaced the road. Man... More

Road Traces and Retaining Walls

Crater Rim Historic District. Road traces and remnant retaining walls are most likely from Leavitt's Road, built in 1931 to connect Uwekahuna to Halemaumau. Today, this is part of the Crater Rim Trail in the no... More

Trail Construction - National Parks Gallery

The Watchman. The Watchman Trail is lined with rock on the down slope of the trail, seen here in 1932. The trail represents the Naturalistic landscape architecture style common during this time, using the park'... More

Rim Drive around Mile 10.9, Near Cleetwood Cove

Rim Drive Historic District. The Rim Drive is the primary circulation feature around Crater Lake. The road and its associated features, such as observation stations and parking lots, were designed to serve visi... More

Trace of the Uwekahuna-Bird Park Road

Crater Rim Historic District. Although it is not visible from the Crater Rim Drive, the Uwekahuna-Bird Park Road trace is evident from the topography and vegetation patterns. The road was constructed in 1933 an... More

Bathhouse Row, ca. 1934, Hot Springs Arkansas

Bathhouse Row. Clipped hedge and a row of elm trees defined the bathhouse side of the lawns in the mid-1930s. The front of Bathhouse Row was recognized for its beautiful, park-like design with symmetrical overh... More

Parking Lot at Watchman Overlook, c. 1934

The Watchman. Historic photograph showing the parking lot located at Watchman Overlook, c. 1934. The trail and observation building were to embody Naturalistic and Rustic architectural design principals, incorp... More

Rim Drive along Dutton Ridge - Public Domain image, National Parks Gal...

Rim Drive Historic District. Section 7-D of Rim Drive stretches between Kerr Notch at Sun Notch. Construction required cuts and excavations along Dutton Ridge, and most of the grading was done by October 1937. ... More

Vidae Falls Parking Area - Public Domain image, National Parks Gallery

Rim Drive Historic District. Vidae Falls is one of the stopping points for visitors along Rim Drive. In 1938, NPS planners and engineers debated the location of road segments and the placement of a bridge at Vi... More

North Observation Point at Scotts Bluff

Scotts Bluff National Monument. The North Observation Point was constructed in 1938 as a Civilian Conservation Corps project during the Great Depression.

Topography near the Volcano House Site

Crater Rim Historic District. Due to the undulating volcanic landscape around the crater, the Crater Rim Drive was constructed with alternating cut and fill. In this area of the road, the terrace that held the ... More

Birds-eye View of Rim Drive from Watchman Trail

Rim Drive Historic District. Numerous trails lead from observation stations along Rim Drive. Most of the foot trails built during the 1930s and 1940s were intended to provide a distinctly different view of Crat... More

Section 7-D near Dutton Cliff - Public Domain image, National Parks Ga...

Rim Drive Historic District. When NPS planners and engineers were designing the road segments, there was some debate over how to align this segment. Completed in 1941, 7-D extends from Kerr Notch to the Sun Not... More

Rim Drive, Approximately Mile 7.4

Rim Drive Historic District. When the Rim Drive was opened to the public in 1941, about two-thirds of the road was paved with asphalt. Today, the asphalt-paved roadbed measures from 18 to 24 feet wide and the s... More

Volcano House - Hawaii free images

Crater Rim Historic District. A contemporary look at the Volcano House. The split-level, wood frame structure has a low-sloped roof with unenclosed eves. A battered, exterior lava stone chimney greets visitors ... More

Miss Mary Louise Long of Chicago and John Staley of Maryland look up d...

Public domain scan of technical drawing, free to use, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description

Miss Mary Louise Long of Chicago and John Staley of Maryland look up d...

Title and other information from caption card. Transfer; United States. Office of War Information. Overseas Picture Division. Washington Division; 1944. More information about the FSA/OWI Collection is availabl... More

Robert Scannell, of Randalia, Iowa, a senior in Landscape Architecture...

Title and other information from caption card. Transfer; United States. Office of War Information. Overseas Picture Division. Washington Division; 1944. More information about the FSA/OWI Collection is availabl... More

Robert Scannell, of Randalia, Iowa, a senior in Landscape Architecture...

Public domain scan of architectural drawing, architecture, free to use, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description

Beatrix Farrand Garden Path/Allee, 1943

Bellefield. During the period of Morgan ownership (1929 - 1975), the manicured lawns and formal garden continued to be maintained in the same manner. Both the Newbolds and the Morgans had a property superintend... More

View of Watchman Overlook towards Watchman Peak

Rim Drive Historic District. This is one of the sites constructed after the period of significance to serve the same purpose as the historic overlooks and observation stations. These non-contributing sites demo... More

North Junction (Diamond Lake) Parking Lot, with Rim Drive Beyond

Rim Drive Historic District. North Junction Parking Area became the second most popular stopping point for visitors along the Rim Drive after a rectangular lot was added. It is the first place that offers a vie... More

Vegetation and Landscape Character at the Jagger Museum

Crater Rim Historic District. The open ohi'a lehua and dry shrub vegetation at Uwekahuna Bluff help establish the character at the Jaggar Museum. The museum was named for Thomas Jaggar, a volcanologist who firs... More

Franklin D. Roosevelt home: Orchard Remnants

Bellefield. The orchard in the rear lawn contains six trees. In 1999, the orchard contained twelve trees, four of which were potentially historic. Several young trees were planted as replacements. In 2005, when... More

Historic Vegetation at Montrose Park

Montrose Park. Historic vegetation from the estate period. A) Osage orange trees along the Ropewalk (2008); B) Grove of American beech trees on the northernmost edge of the plateau (2007); C) Tulip poplar witne... More

Woodland Paths - National Parks Gallery

Montrose Park. Burnap included two images of these paths in this 1916 book, "Parks: Their Design, Equipment, and Use." It appears that the path surface was made of gravel, and flagstones were used as steps on t... More

Existing Conditions at Montrose Park, 2008

Montrose Park. A site plan from the Cultural Landscape Report shows the existing conditions at Montrose Park. The landscape has been altered slightly, yet the property still represents a nineteenth-century esta... More

The Gamble House in Pasadena, California

Title, date, and keywords provided by the photographer. Designed by brothers Charles Sumner Greene and Henry Mather Greene of the architectural firm Greene and Greene and constructed in 1908 and 1909 as a home... More

Water feature and garden wall at the Gamble House in Pasadena, Califor...

Title, date, and keywords provided by the photographer. Designed by brothers Charles Sumner Greene and Henry Mather Greene of the architectural firm Greene and Greene and constructed in 1908 and 1909 as a home ... More

Crater Lake Site Plan - Public Domain image, National Parks Gallery

Rim Drive Historic District. The 2011 site plan for the Cultural Landscapes Inventory shows the cultural landscape boundary of the Rim Drive Historic District, as well as stations, substations, and other natura... More

Hoh Developed Area - National Parks Gallery

Mossy phone booth, Hoh Visitors Center Hoh Developed Area Historic District Olympic National Park, Washington Olympic National Park

Hoh Developed Area - National Parks Gallery

Comfort Station, Camping Loop B Hoh Developed Area Historic District Olympic National Park, Washington Olympic National Park

Hoh Developed Area - National Parks Gallery

Hoh Visitors Center sign Hoh Developed Area Historic District Olympic National Park, Washington Olympic National Park

Tourist Attraction - Hoh Developed Area

Old Shed, Maintenance Loop Hoh Developed Area Historic District Olympic National Park, Washington Olympic National Park

Hoh Developed Area - National Parks Gallery

Corral Hoh Developed Area Historic District Olympic National Park, Washington Olympic National Park

Hoh Developed Area - National Parks Gallery

Water station, Camping Loop B Hoh Developed Area Historic District Olympic National Park, Washington Olympic National Park

Hoh Developed Area - National Parks Gallery

Pond along Upper Hoh Road Hoh Developed Area Historic District Olympic National Park, Washington Olympic National Park

Hoh Developed Area - National Parks Gallery

Hall of Mosses Trail Hoh Developed Area Historic District Olympic National Park, Washington Olympic National Park

Hoh Developed Area - National Parks Gallery

Parking, Hoh Visitors Center Hoh Developed Area Historic District Olympic National Park, Washington Olympic National Park

Hoh Developed Area - National Parks Gallery

Campsite, Camping Loop A Hoh Developed Area Historic District Olympic National Park, Washington Olympic National Park