OLMSTED'S GENIUS
"Florham would never have come into existence without Frederick Law Olmsted and his ability to convince Hamilton Twombly to create a great estate, a country house domain equal to Twombly's stature. ... By the time Florham opened officially in 1897, its rolling topography featured several hills, one 380 feet above sea level. More than 150 acres were wooded with walnut, chestnut, and oak trees, along with many unique and imported species."
—Olmsted's Genius: The Landscape of Florham
Photo of the railroad tunnel at Florham courtesy of Fairleigh Dickinson University Digital Archives.
"This book explores how that greatest of all landscape architects—Frederick Law Olmsted—visualized 1,200 acres of woodlands and scrub growth and swamps and transformed them into a magical country retreat for a family which could afford, and demanded, "the best of the best."
"Today, over a century after Olmsted laid out his vision, and boatloads of Italian immigrant workers labored with picks and shovels and wheelbarrows to realize that vision, you can still feel Olmsted's magic."
"... the wonder of Olmsted's work, and the work of subsequent landscapers ... is still evident everywhere—in the perfect siting of the Mansion which suddenly arises, dreamlike, before you as you make your way down the drive, in the siting of the Orangerie and the Carriage House, in the ancient specimen trees, in the beautiful Italian Garden and in the Fountain gardens behind the Mansion."
—Olmsted's Genius: The Landscape of Florham
Photos of Florham courtesy of Fairleigh Dickinson University Digital Archives.
CONTENTS
Olmsted and Florham
Creating the Florham Landscape
Olmsted's Successors at Florham
Florham's Ornamental Gardens
Florham's Flowers and Fruits
Florham's Vegetable Gardens
The Plantings of Florham
The Trees of Florham
Florham Farms
The Workers Who Built and Maintained Florham
Florham in Winter
Florham Arboretum and Tree Campus
For more information about the estate, please visit the Friends of Florham website.