Olmsted Walk

Olmsted Walk (HM23Y5)

Location: Washington, DC 20008
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Country: United States of America
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N 38° 55.854', W 77° 3.194'

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Inscription

Smithsonian's National Zoo

—125 Years —

Evolved from carriageway to walkway, our main visitor path named for Frederick Law Olmsted, the renowned landscape architect who designed the basic layout and flow of the Zoo. Olmsted's legacy is found in the green spaces, natural atmosphere and curves that create changing views with a focus on landscape, not architecture.

In the late 1880s, Frederick Law Olmsted was approached by the Smithsonian to provide "preliminary counsel" for designing the National Zoo. Olmsted is said to have replied promptly and enthusiastically, saying the area selected for the Zoo was one of great natural beauty which he had known for 30 years and had hoped would be turned into a park.

Captions from Images:
Looking across Rock Creek toward what is now Lion/Tiger Hill.
This is believed to be the earliest image of what would become the Zoo.

F.L. Olmsted & Co. preliminary study, June 2, 1890

As late as the 1950s, the Zoo's main path was a road for cars.

Architect Frederick Law Olmsted (in the light suit) discusses the Zoo's layout with Smithsonian officials.

This exhibition has been brought to you in part by: [Starbucks]
Details
HM NumberHM23Y5
Tags
Placed BySmithsonian Institution
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Tuesday, December 19th, 2017 at 7:03am PST -08:00
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Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)18S E 322026 N 4311112
Decimal Degrees38.93090000, -77.05323333
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 38° 55.854', W 77° 3.194'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds38° 55' 51.24" N, 77° 3' 11.64" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)202
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 95 Olmsted Walk, Washington DC 20008, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

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