Beyond the Olmsted Legacy: Valuing Lake Park and Other Historic Milwaukee Landscapes

Recent debates about historic features of Lake Park have been informed by its design by Frederick Law Olmsted, and its status as one of the nation’s great public parks. Yet, Lake Park is just one of numerous designed public landscapes that distinguish Milwaukee County’s long commitment to exceptional green spaces. Some of these high-value legacy places now face threats to their integrity. Join Dan Marriott as he discusses the future of Lake Park, and other notable public landscapes, within the realities of social, environmental and recreational expectations of the twenty-first century.

Paul Daniel Marriott, PhD, is an Associate Professor of Landscape Architecture at the Pennsylvania State University. He is an educator, author and speaker on design and the built environment and board member of the National Association for Olmsted Parks.