A host of historic documentation recently retrieved from the Library of Congress and the Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site provided the foundation for planning and design. “Sharing an understanding of Olmsted principles is urgent in the 21st century,” says Debra Guenther ASLA, Mithun landscape architecture principal. “They are prescient in their timeless understanding of integrating infrastructure, place and people.”
Mithun’s landscape plan respects the design principles of the original Olmsted plan, honors characteristic features and concepts of the historic design, and acknowledges the dynamic context of the historic capitol grounds. “We are providing a sustainable link between the past and future,” says Guenther.
Washington State’s Capitol is on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. Instead of a single building, as in most states, it consists of a campus with several buildings. The Washington State Legislature, Washington Supreme Court and Washington Governor’s Mansion are all located on the Capitol Campus.
The Olmsted Brothers created the original 54-acre site plan in 1928, with planting beginning in 1931 and continuing to this day as buildings are added and site needs change. As with all of the Olmsteds' work, the Campus features sweeping vistas along with open, expansive lawns. However, much of their design intent was lost due to attrition, development or deferred preventive care. Mithun’s plan will replenish aging trees, establish new trees and replace portions of energy-intensive lawn with layers of vegetation, as originally intended. The plan also recommends the removal of some parking in order to help return the most civic aspect of the state to a place for people rather than cars.
Read more at Mithun’s “West Capitol Campus Historic Landscape Preservation Master Plan”.
