FREDERICK LAW OLMSTED AND HIS WORK 
III. THE SCHLESINGER PLACE, BROOKLINE, MASS. 
By John Nolen 
Photographs by Thomas W. Sears 
F REDERICK LAW OLMSTED’S work as land¬ 
scape architect consisted so largely of the crea¬ 
tion of parks and the improvement of public property, 
that it is difficult to find private estates with which he 
had personal connection. The Schlesinger Place in 
Brookline, Massachusetts is, however, one of his 
own designs and a good example of his method of 
dealing with home grounds. It comprises an irregu¬ 
lar tract of land, about twenty-eight acres in extent, 
l he topography of the property is rough and rolling 
and in the opinion of Mr. Olmsted was not very 
favorable as the basis for a large and handsome 
country residence. There was no obvious and in¬ 
evitable good arrangement. Every plan had serious 
objections. But it is largely because of its difficul¬ 
ties that the design so well repays study, it shows 
how an artist accepts conditions and limitations and 
works to good effect in spite of them; indeed in this 
case how he definitely plans to make the limitations 
enhance and aid the ends sought. 
1 he sketch plan of the property herewith shown 
indicates the character of the grounds. It will he 
observed that there is considerable variation in grade, 
the elevations ranging from 70 feet to 105 feet. But 
compared with the surrounding properties the whole 
estate is low. It commands no distant view, no 
views beyond its own borders. In fact the topogra¬ 
phy is such that there are few points where views of 
extent can be had within the property itself. lhe 
rocky ledge to the southwest shuts off both the view 
217 
THE GREAT HOUSE—THE DOMINANT FEATURE OF THE DESIGN 
