Olmsted in the Pacific Northwest by Laurence Cotton

The footprint of the Olmsted Brothers firm in the Pacific Northwest is considerable, with John Charles Olmsted front-and-center. From parks and park systems to private estates, college campuses and state capitol grounds, the Olmsted legacy touches landscapes across the Pacific Northwest in places like Idaho, Seattle, Oregon and even Canada. During this program, historian Laurence Cotton will explore this history and capture JCO’s triangulation between the cities of Seattle, Portland and Spokane in the early 20th Century at a time of tremendous growth.
About the speaker: As a landscape historian, Laurence Cotton is active with the Olmsted Network. As a biographer of Frederick Law Olmsted, Cotton has taken it upon himself to regularly travel across North America, presenting his PBS film Frederick Law Olmsted: Designing America and delivering a popular talk about the Olmsted legacy- father, two sons, and Olmsted Brothers landscape architecture firm- across North America. In addition to his filmmaking and his public speaking, Laurence Cotton also serves as a historical lecturer on board small ship cruise vessels that ply the rivers, lakes, and coastlines of North America, delivering talks on regional history and natural history. Though originally from Boston, Cotton has resided in Portland for 28 years and has developed a passion for interpreting the legacy of John Charles Olmsted in the Pacific Northwest.