Volunteers pitched in this past weekend on a planting project to reimagine an original Olmsted Brothers’ garden design on the corner of South Fullerton and The Crescent. Located on the grounds of First Congregational Church, the project will revitalize an outdoor community space.
In 1925, First Congregational Church hired the nationally renowned Olmsted Brothers firm to establish a garden on what is now the church’s front lawn. John Charles Olmsted, stepson of Frederick Law Olmsted, oversaw the creation of Montclair’s Anderson Park.
The Olmsted Brothers garden plans languished, hidden away in files, until a group of interested congregants rediscovered them after an online search in 2022.
“We are delighted to work with BDP Holdings, Barboza Landscaping, and Langan Engineering to revitalize our beloved garden space,” said Siobhan Morello, property manager of First Congregational Church. “This initiative not only honors the Olmsted Brothers rich heritage, but also fosters a deeper sense of connection and stewardship within our community.”
“Our shared vision is to honor the legacy of the Olmsted Brothers while incorporating a modern twist with native plant species.” said David Placek, managing partner at BDP Holdings. This project will be great for Montclair, creating a greater sense of community.”
Frederick Law Olmsted is regarded as the founder of American landscape architecture. He is best known for creating New York’s Central Park, the Emerald Necklace in Boston, and North Carolina’s Biltmore Estate gardens. The Olmsted Brothers continued this work, emphasizing the creation of accessible, scenic public spaces that promoted community health, social interaction, and environmental stewardship.
Fredrick Law Olmsted and his sons (Olmsted Brothers) who created several Essex County parks, were habitués’ of Montclair and frequented the Innesses. Robert lived in Bloomfield. F.L. Olmsted was without sight by the time Central Park in NYC was being completed. The son’s carried on with the visionary legacy. The significance of F. L. Olmsted’s project for Central Park is that it is a huge naturalistic George Inness landscape painting, strategically placed in the heart of the developing city so that it would forever immortalize what the city’s landscape looked like in its original naturalistic condition. Olmsted believed that every major city, from Washington DC to Boston, would eventually merge into one continuous urban landscape. He envisioned each city having its own Central Park, a place that would forever preserve the original natural beauty of the location. Olmsted also envisioned that each Central Park would be connected by a green corridor, a “Park Way” This visionary concept came before the idea of developing the East Coast’s train lines that was planned by Julius Pratt of Montclair. Pratt’s vision for Montclair was that it would not develop into a mono-centric city, instead a green suburb planned to have six train stations, where passengers would get off directly in their neighborhoods and walk home surrounded by nature. (and visa-versa)