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Urban Parks Explored In Landscape Architect Olmsted’s Biography

St. Louis is home to one of the country’s great urban parks.

Forest Park encompasses more than 1,300 acres and in addition to walking, running and bike trails, it includes institutions such as The Muny, Missouri History Museum, Saint Louis Zoo and Saint Louis Science Center.

While he didn’t design Forest Park, landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted did design New York City’s Central Park, Stanford University in California and the Capitol Grounds in Washington, D.C.

Host Don Marsh talked with Olmsted biographer Justin Martin about his book, “Genius of Place: The Life of Frederick Law Olmsted.”

During the 19th century when urban parks such as Central Park in New York City and Forest Park in St. Louis were developed, Olmsted’s idea was to “create natural places that are more natural than nature itself,” Martin explained.

“You have cities all over the country, including St. Louis, where it was very fortunate that parks were set aside in the 19th century,” Martin said.  “Cities were starting to fill out and had land not been set aside it’s very possible something else would have been there.”

While most well-known for designing Parks, Olmsted was also a reformer, abolitionist and journalist.

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Alex is the executive producer of "St. Louis on the Air" at St. Louis Public Radio.
Mary Edwards is a producer for St. Louis Public Radio's broadcast program, "St. Louis Symphony."
Don Marsh served as host of St. Louis Public Radio’s “St. Louis on the Air" from 2005 to 2019, bringing discussions of significant topics to listeners' ears at noon Monday through Friday. Don has been an active journalist for 58 years in print, radio and television. He has won 12 Regional Emmy Awards for writing, reporting, and producing. He is the recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, was inducted into the St. Louis Media Hall of Fame in 2013, and named “Media Person of the Year” by the St. Louis Press Club in 2015. He has published three books: his most recent, “Coming of Age, Liver Spots and All: A Humorous Look at the Wonders of Getting Old,” “Flash Frames: Journey of a Journeyman Journalist” and “How to be Rude (Politely).” He holds an honorary Doctor of Arts and Letters degree from the University of Missouri-St. Louis.