Fairsted, the Frederick Law Olmsted Home and Studio

Landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted was attracted to this property in Brookline for three reasons—the reputation of the town's picturesque landscape, the nearby house of his friend Henry Hobson Richardson, and his ongoing work for the Boston Park Commission. Olmsted purchased this clap-boarded two-story five-bay Federal farmhouse in 1883, converting and expanding it for his family and for his business. From Fairsted, the name he gave to the property, Olmsted and his successor firms dominated the practice of landscape architecture in the United States. The office closed in 1973, and Congress purchased the property and its collection of drawings and photographs. Now administered by the National Park Service and open to the public, Fairsted serves as a research center for scholars working on the Olmsted firms. The site, both inside and on the grounds, serves as an example of Olmsted's work and philosophy.