Frederick Law Olmsted Jr.
At that first 1913 organizational meeting of the
Boston Chapter, John Charles Olmsted was
selected to serve as the chapter’s first president.
Much has been written about the lives and
professional careers of the Chapter’s three
influential founders. A brief article such as this
cannot fully convey the impact each individual
has had on the profession of landscape architecture. Each of the three served as president
of ASLA at least once, and in John Charles
Olmsted’s and Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr.’s
cases twice.
In BSLA’s annual reports to ASLA, the trio was
actively engaged in chapter activities over the
years, shaping what BSLA has become. Events
were similar to those being held to this day –
lectures, visits to prominent landscape
architectural works, partnering with the Boston
Society of Architects on projects such as exhibitions of noteworthy projects and printed tour
guides of memorials, and advising municipal
and non-profit organizations on land use and
resource planning and conservation issues.
After John Charles Olmsted died on February
25, 1920, the following resolution was passed.
Although about him, it can be argued that it
accurately represents all three Chapter founders.
These efforts of 100 years ago continue today as a result of our
dedicated members, and include the chapter’s strong awards
program, the newly available online reference tool Landscape
Architect’s Guide to Boston, our partnership with Boston Society
of Architects and other design professions its co-founding of
MeetMassachusetts, a design professional network, and this
publication, Fieldbook, are evolutions of the groundwork laid
by the three BSLA fathers.
RESOLVED, That, in the death, on February
25, 1920, of John Charles Olmsted, one of the
founders of this Chapter and the greatly
respected and esteemed senior in years of
us all, we have lost one of our most loyal and
faithful members, and one whose wisdom and
whose watchfulness have, many times in the life
of the Chapter, stood us in good stead;
RESOLVED, That his unique wealth of technical
knowledge, and his varied professional experience extending over many years, and derived
from the solution of most important private
and public problems cannot be replaced; and
that his gentle spirit and always kindly and
generous attitude toward us, his colleagues in
the Chapter, will long carry on as a very precious memory.
-Approved at Meeting of the Society at the
Boston City Club, Tuesday Evening, March 16, 1920
In celebration of the
100th year of BSLA, a
special logo has been
used throughout the
year. The logo was
designed by Christy
Sweeney of CRJA-IBI
Group.
2013 Boston Society of Landscape Architects Fieldbook
5