Photo Safari- Arnold Arboretum

Job #902, 00902-01-p23 400 dpi, Arnold Arboretum, Boston, MA

Olmsted Archives

The Arnold Arboretum Visitor Center, otherwise known as the Hunnewell Building, was designed in 1892 by Alexander Wadsworth Longfellow Jr., the nephew of the famous American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. The building was finally constructed in 1903 with funds donated by H.H.Hunnewell from whom the building received its name.

The idea of an arboretum in the Boston region began in 1868 when a tree-loving whaling merchant by the name of James Arnold died and left a sum of $100,000 dollars to his four trustees. Before his death, Arnold specified that a portion of his wealth was to be used for "...the promotion of Agricultural, or Horticultural Improvements". The trustees decided to partner with Harvard University and create the Arnold Arboretum.

The Arnold Arboretum was founded in 1872 and Charles Sprague Sargent was appointed as its first director. Sargent immediately went to landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted to ask for his help designing an arboretum that would also function as a public park. At first, Olmsted declined Sargent's offer because he didn't believe he could build both an arboretum and a park in the same enclosed space. Eventually, Olmsted got on board with the plan and began to draft his landscape design for the arboretum in the summer of 1878.

The Arnold Arboretum was built to be able to serve a multitude of purposes. Olmsted designed the arboretum to be enjoyed by all types of people from all social classes featuring carriage and pedestrian paths. As well as being a public park, the Arnold Arboretum is a hotspot for botanists and horticulturists. Although Frederick Law Olmsted did not believe it at first, the Arnold Arboretum has thrived as both a public park and an arboretum for the past two centuries.

How are you using the Arnold Arboretum today? How do you think the use of the Arnold Arboretum has changed over time.

Job #902, 00902-01-ph05 400 dpi, Arnold Arboretum, Boston, MA

Olmsted Archives

To participate in this program, take a picture of this place as you see it today, respond to our question above, and then post your photos with your reflections in the caption online using #ENSafari and #FindYourPark