Craftsmanship & Design

The Hands That Shaped The Land

Most likely, wherever you are in Acadia, your view is not accidental. Park founders such as George B. Dorr, Charles W. Eliot, and John D. Rockefeller envisioned the gentle curves and scenic view points of Acadia's carriage roads and motor roads and financed much of their construction. However, it was landscape architects and planners who translated those ideas and skilled laborers who made them a reality.

The trailbuilders of the 19th century constructed a trail system unsurpassed in the United States and possibly the world. Local laborers channeled generations of knowledge about working granite and timber into legacy structures that now exemplify Acadia to the world. Skilled landscape architects, such as Beatrix Farrand, drew delicate road curves, strategic landscape plantings, and viewsheds that still shape your Acadia experience today. Skilled masons, trailbuilders, planners, and designers continue to work to maintain these historic gems into the future. Learn more about the roads and structures themselves on our Building Acadia page.
 

Architects

Grosvenor Atterbury
 

Landscape Architects

Olmstead, Farrand, Eliot
 

Trailbuilders

Liscomb, McIntire, Kneedler, Stebbins, etc...
 
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    Last updated: September 1, 2023

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