Frederick Law Olmstead at Biltmore

[Yancey_Beamer]

I just returned from Asheville,N.C. and toured Vanderbilt's Biltmore Estate. Olmstead created the gardens and grounds of the estate.This is the largest private residence in this country. Obviously the grounds are massive.In the basement of the mansion is an excellent exibit on the work.Olmstead was quite concerned with the "overlook"and actually placed the site of the house precisely for the best view of Mount Pisgah.To avoid formal gardens he planted with "caprice".The grow in was done by Chauncy Beadle and consisted of 2,700,000 plants.Olmstead was first concerned that the initial plantings would hide the scars of construction.Obviously the coordination of the effort and personnel involved would make an 18 hole grow in appear to be the equivalent of your rear garden.

[TEPaul]

Yancey:

Frederick Law Olmsted (the first FLO) certainly could think and work on a grand scale with LSA obviously never seen before in America and his novel ideas on the uses and effects of LSA were pretty revolutionary and uniquely thoughtful in some of his applications.

My real fascination about the man are what effect he would have had on golf course architecture if he'd thought much about it as something LSA should be applied to.

Unfortunately he died before golf course architecture really got going in this country.

[JMorgan]

And he didn't even go to college.

[Jim Sweeney]

FLO designed the Municipal parks for Louisville, KY. There are four or five golf courses. I do not know how the courses were integrated in to the parks- if FLO was involved, set aside the land, etc.

[Tom Roewer]

FLO also designed the property of Mountain Lake.  He was instrumental in convincing Raynor to take on the job for the golf course.  From "MOUNTAIN LAKE" - 'By may of 1915, Olmstead had completed sufficient work to produce a blueprint of the residential park, including blockand lot delineations, all major roadways and the area layout for an 18-hole course.'  

So it isn't so new to have a GCA given an 'area' to fit a course in on.  I know that this might have been one of the first such, and not as normal at the time as it is now.

[john_stiles]

Just a nit here, but it could have been FLO, Jr. for Mountain Lake unless Mountain Lake origins were pre-1895  

Frederick Law Olmsted (1822-1903) was retired from working by 1895.

[Tom Roewer]

Just a nit here, but it could have been FLO, Jr. for Mountain Lake unless Mountain Lake origins were pre-1895  

Frederick Law Olmsted (1822-1903) was retired from working by 1895.

SORRY JOHN  IT WAS JR.

[TEPaul]

I don't know that much about FLO Jr. All I know is that it was his father who was the ultra famous and truly revolutionary and great American landscape architecture.

As far as I know senior never had anything to do with golf courses or golf course architecture.

But if he had, I think it might've been pretty fascinating for various reasons.

[john_stiles]

FLO, Jr helped his father with Biltmore Estate and worked at the 'job' site.

Another golf related connection is that the Olmstead firm was involved with design of the Pinehurst 'village.'