THE LANDSCAPE BEAUTIFUL 



have set before them a number of typiceJ 

 works which, if not strictly masterpieces, 

 are recognized as of high merit. 



Some of the masterpieces which I have 

 included in my list are important on ac- 

 count of their historical significance. 

 Circumstances have conspired to give them 

 special influence. This is the case, for 

 instance, with Central Park, New York. 

 The park itself is by no means the best 

 one in the country, and the original design 

 is by no means the best work of its author. 

 Nevertheless, the making of Central Park 

 marks an epoch in American landscape 

 architecture. It was the beginning of the 

 great city park systems which to-day supply 

 the most magnificent examples of the value 

 and beauty to be achieved in the successful 

 practice of this art. 



Number One. Therefore, let Central 

 Park, New York City, stand as the first 

 masterpiece of American landscape archi- 

 tecture. The idea of this park was broached 

 by Andrew Jackson Downing, and Down- 

 ing lived long enough to see the beginning 

 of its realization. The original design 

 was the first important work of Frederick 

 Law Olmsted, Sr., and it is quite within 



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