“Olmsted in Seattle” Book Signing & Presentation at Ctr for Urban Horticulture

Douglas Classroom, Center for Urban Horticulture

3501 NE 41st St, Seattle, WA 98105

Olmsted in Seattle: Creating a Park System for a Modern City, by Jennifer Ott, is the culmination of an 18-month effort by HistoryLink and Documentary Media, in partnership with Friends of Seattle’s Olmsted Parks. The book traces the story of how, in the midst of galloping growth at the turn of the 20th century, Seattle’s city leaders seized on the confluence of a roaring economy with the City Beautiful movement to hire the Olmsted Brothers landscape architecture firm. Their 1903 plan led to a supplemental plan, a playground plan, numerous park and boulevard designs, changes to park system management, and a ripple effect for the firm, as the Olmsted Brothers were subsequently hired to design public and private landscapes throughout the region.

The book, distributed by UW Press, will be available in early November.

Author Jennifer Ott is an environmental historian and assistant director of HistoryLink, and she is also a former president of FSOP (2011-15) and founding and current Volunteer Park Trust steering committee member. Previous publications include the book Waterway: The Story of Seattle’s Locks and Ship Canal(co-authored with David B. Williams), and articles for the Oregon Historical Quarterly, HistoryLink.org, and Seattle magazine.