Frederick Law Olmsted

Timeless communities. This is perhaps the greatest legacy of legendary American landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted work across the nation in the late nineteenth century. Olmsted and his sons developed a comprehensive approach to town building by integrating nature, stressing connectivity and building communities around a great framework of parks.

Respecting these same principles, The Ramble Biltmore Forest employed LaQuatra Bonci Landscape Architects in collaboration with locally-based Cloos Landscape Architecture from its conception.  LaQuatra Bonci has studied Olmstedian designed communities extensively, observing how they respond to the land, documenting the streets, placement of houses, the parks and landscape character to understand what makes them special places. 

“We have become Olmsted disciples, applying his ideas and thoughts to today’s communities” – Fred Bonci, Principal, LaQuatra Bonci Associates.

The Biltmore Estate, Biltmore Forest, Central Park, Brooklyn’s Prospect Park and Queens, New York’s Forest Hills Gardens all served as models for The Ramble’s design. The collaboration on the public realm, with its highly detailed landscape features and structures, between architect and landscape designer are evident. This same collaboration existed between Olmsted and Richard Morris Hunt on the Biltmore Estate and Olmsted and his partner Calvert Vaux on Central Park.

As residents drive through The Ramble, they will notice many of the streets are inspired by Olmsted’s work.

Special thanks to the Frederick Law Olmsted Historic Site in Brookline, Massachusetts for providing vintage Olmsted photography.