Celebrating Frederick Law Olmsted

Des Moines Founders Garden Club Hosts Olmsted 200 Week

March 22, 2022

The Des Moines Founders Garden Club joins the nation in celebrating the 200th anniversary of Frederick Law Olmsted and The Garden Club of America initiative, PARKS: Where Nature Meets Community, by hosting Olmsted 200 Week in Des Moines, March 26 – April 1. The celebration includes lectures, film, performance, and exhibits aimed to bring attention to the Olmsted legacy as well as the successful Des Moines Parks system.

The week begins with Horticulture Meets History: The Design Legacy of Frederick Law Olmsted presented by the club at Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden. In addition, the films Olmsted and America’s Urban Parks and Frederick Law Olmsted: Designing America will be shown in several Des Moines libraries with an introduction by club members about the early history of Des Moines Parks.

Author Justin Martin, Genius of Place, The Life of Frederick Law Olmsted, will lecture at one of Des Moines’ oldest parks, telling the Olmsted story and its relevance to contemporary society.

Actor, writer, and horticulturist Kirk Brown will portray Olmsted at the Hall of Laureates of the World Food Prize, a renovated building that was one of the city’s first structures of the City Beautiful movement following the Chicago’s World Fair in the 1890s.

In addition to the events of Olmsted 200 Week, two exhibits will be installed in March that will remain in place through 2022. Des Moines Founders Garden Club members have researched the beginnings of Des Moines’ three original parks and created signage for history walks in each park. The club is also coordinating efforts to install Landscapes for the Public Good in Des Moines Water Works Park, a 1500-acre park in the center of Des Moines.

One of the exciting aspects about the project has been the interest and cooperation of many public entities. With the events, the club has created partnerships with Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden, Des Moines Public Libraries, Des Moines Parks and Recreation and Water Works Foundation, and will be receiving a city proclamation for Olmsted 200 Week in the City of Des Moines.

The Garden Club of America (GCA) is a proud founding partner of the Olmsted 200 bicentennial campaign. The GCA's contribution to the celebration is the unprecedented opportunity for all 199 GCA clubs to connect the needs of their communities with Olmsted’s revolutionary vision for parks and public landscapes by participating in the GCA’s initiative, PARKS: Where Nature Meets Community. Each club project helps their local community public spaces while collectively celebrating Olmsted’s genius for public access to nature across the country.