Misplaced Pages

#977022

76-572: Jamaicaway was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted as part of Emerald Necklace of green spaces extending from Boston Common on Beacon Hill to Franklin Park in Roxbury . Jamaicaway connects Riverway in the north with Arborway in the south. Designed with carriages in mind during an era when Jamaica Plain was a sparsely inhabited streetcar suburb , Jamaicaway is now a heavily-traveled route for motor vehicles connecting central areas of Boston (especially

152-501: A "'grand promenade' was an 'essential feature of a metropolitan park'"; however, its formal symmetry, its style, although something of an aberration, was designed to be subordinate to the natural view surrounding it. Wealthy passengers were let from their carriages at its south end. The carriage would then drive around to the Terrace, which overlooked the Lake and Ramble to pick them up, saving them

228-473: A female householder with no husband present, and 40.7% were non-families. 33.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 3.23. In the city, the population was spread out, with 23.6% under the age of 18, 10.6% from 18 to 24, 29.8% from 25 to 44, 21.8% from 45 to 64, and 14.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age

304-441: A friend wrote: "Olmsted is in an unhappy, sick, sore mental state ... He works like a dog all day and sits up nearly all night ... works with steady, feverish intensity till four in the morning, sleeps on a sofa in his clothes, and breakfasts on strong coffee and pickles!!!" His overwork and lack of sleep led to his being in a perpetual state of irritability, which wore on the people with whom he worked: "Exhausted, ill and having lost

380-489: A more cultivated taste. Their children were Charlotte, Mary, Owen, Bertha, Ada, and Albert Olmsted. The Olmsted ancestors arrived in the early 1600s from Essex , England. When he was almost ready to enter Yale College at a young age, sumac poisoning weakened his eyes, so he abandoned college plans. After working as an apprentice seaman, merchant, and journalist, he settled on a 125 acres (51 ha) farm in January 1848 on

456-503: A patient at the McLean Hospital , for whose grounds he had submitted a design which was never executed. He remained there until he died in 1903. Drawing influences from English landscape and gardening, Olmsted emphasized design that encourages the full use of the naturally occurring features of a given space, its "genius"; the subordination of individual details to the whole so that decorative elements do not take precedence, but rather

532-604: A plan for Presque Isle Park in Marquette, Michigan , saying that it "should not be marred by the intrusion of artificial objects". After Olmsted's retirement and death, his sons John Charles Olmsted and Frederick Law Olmsted Jr. , continued the work of their firm, doing business as the Olmsted Brothers . The firm lasted until 1980. Many works by the Olmsted sons are mistakenly credited to Frederick Law Olmsted today. For instance,

608-730: A public liberal arts college . New Britain Public Schools operates public schools. The local high school is New Britain High School . New Britain was also home to the Mountain Laurel Sudbury School but has since closed in 2019. The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Hartford is responsible for the operation of Catholic schools. A Catholic elementary school, Sacred Heart School, is in New Britain. St. Thomas Aquinas High School closed in 1999. The Holy Cross Catholic School

684-575: A quarter of the city was ethnically Polish. Also referred to as "Little Poland", the city's Broad Street neighborhood has been home to a considerable number of Polish businesses and families since 1890. On September 23, 2008, through the urging of the Polonia Business Association, the New Britain City Council unanimously passed a resolution officially designating New Britain's Broad Street area as "Little Poland." In recent years,

760-507: A similar fashion for their private enjoyment, such as that of Frederick T. van Beuren Jr. in New Jersey. He is a descendant of a Dutch physician who settled in Manhattan in 1700 and whose family members became prominent property owners in the city and various other locations. Initially, that country estate was one of several self-sufficient retreats from Manhattan held by the family that included

836-719: A son Frederick Law Olmsted Jr. (born July 24, 1870). Their first child, John Theodore Olmsted, was born on June 13, 1860, and died in infancy. In recognition of his services during the Civil War, Olmsted was elected a Third Class member of the Massachusetts Commandery of the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States (MOLLUS) on May 2, 1888, and was assigned insignia number 6345. Olmsted's election to MOLLUS

SECTION 10

#1732855458978

912-475: A soothing, restorative effect on the viewer. The picturesque style covered rocky, broken terrain teeming with shrubs and creepers, to express nature's richness. The picturesque style played with light and shade to lend the landscape a sense of mystery. Scenery was designed to enhance the sense of space: indistinct boundaries using plants, brush, and trees as opposed to sharp ones; the interplay of light and shadow close up, and blurred detail farther away. He employed

988-512: A standard of excellence that continues to influence landscape architecture in the United States. He was an early and important activist in the conservation movement , including in his work at Niagara Falls, the Adirondack region of upstate New York, and the National Park system . As head of the U.S. Sanitary Commission , he also played a major role in organizing and providing medical services to

1064-460: A supporting farm for produce, livestock, and a livery as well as several houses for permanent staff. The estate later became a more permanent residence as van Beuren's career shifted to founding a hospital in the growing community nearby . At that time the shingled structure in New Vernon was renovated into a brick structure that is described as one of the notable mansions of the area. At the time of

1140-408: A vast expanse of greenery at the end of which would lie a grove of yellow poplar; a path that winds through a bit of landscape and intersects with others, dividing the terrain into triangular islands of successive new views. Subordination strove to use all objects and features in the service of the design and its intended effect. It can be seen in the subtle use of naturally occurring plants throughout

1216-689: Is a city in Hartford County , Connecticut , United States. It is located approximately 9 miles (14 km) southwest of Hartford . The city is part of the Capitol Planning Region . According to 2020 Census, the population of the city is 74,135. Among the southernmost of the communities encompassed within the Hartford-Springfield Knowledge Corridor metropolitan region, New Britain is home to Central Connecticut State University and Charter Oak State College . The city

1292-657: Is considered to be the father of landscape architecture in the United States. Olmsted was famous for co-designing many well-known urban parks with his partner Calvert Vaux . Olmsted and Vaux's first project was Central Park in New York City, which led to many other urban park designs. These included Prospect Park in Brooklyn ; Cadwalader Park in Trenton, New Jersey ; and Forest Park in Portland, Oregon . In 1883, Olmsted established

1368-476: Is held on a Sunday in the spring. Notable visitors to the Polish district have included Presidents Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan on July 8, 1987. In 1969, as then-Cardinal Karol Wojtyła, the future Pope John Paul II gave a mass at Sacred Heart Church. A statue was erected in his honor in 2007. Dubbed the city's "Polish heart" by The Boston Globe , Little Poland caught the attention of Polish Ambassador to

1444-575: Is home to the global headquarters of the Fortune 500 manufacturing conglomerate Stanley Black & Decker . Other notable companies headquartered in New Britain include Gaffney, Bennett and Associates , Tomasso Group , Creed Monarch, Guida's Dairy, and Polamer Precision. According to the City's 2022 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report , the top employers in the city are: The city is home to Central Connecticut State University and Charter Oak State College ,

1520-560: Is probably James Michael Curley , the Irish American Mayor of Boston whose former house was long easy to spot, even after Curley's death, by the shamrock design incised in its shutters. The entire route is in Boston , Suffolk County . Frederick Law Olmsted Frederick Law Olmsted (April 26, 1822 – August 28, 1903) was an American landscape architect , journalist, social critic , and public administrator. He

1596-655: Is significant in that he was one of the few civilians elected to membership in an organization composed almost exclusively of military officers and their descendants. In 1891 he joined the Connecticut Society of the Sons of the American Revolution by right of his descent from his grandfather Benjamin Olmsted who served in the 4th Connecticut Regiment in 1775. In 1895, senility forced Olmsted to retire. By 1898 he moved to Belmont, Massachusetts , and took up residence as

SECTION 20

#1732855458978

1672-594: Is some local perception of a distinct accent, popularly attributed to the Polish-American community, such as the use of a glottal stop in place of /t/ before syllabic /l/ : in other words, in words like cattle and bottle . The short "a" vowel /æ/ as in TRAP may be raised to [ɛə] for some speakers in Connecticut, including New Britain, though this feature appears to be declining among younger residents. New Britain

1748-525: Is the use of sunken roadways which traverse the park and are specifically dedicated to vehicles as opposed to the winding pathways designated specifically for pedestrians. An example of this mix of principles is seen in the Central Park Mall , a large promenade leading to the Bethesda Terrace, and the single formal feature in Olmsted and Vaux's original naturalistic design. The designers wrote that

1824-417: Is water. New Britain's terrain is mostly made up of gentle, rolling hills and young Connecticut forest. The many parks are populated with trees, and in small, undeveloped areas, there are also brushy woods. New Britain's streets also have many trees lining the sides of the roads. Many front yards in the northern half of the city have at least one tree. One or two streams flow through New Britain, undisturbed by

1900-750: The American South and Texas from 1852 to 1857. His dispatches to the Times were collected into three volumes ( A Journey in the Seaboard Slave States (1856), A Journey Through Texas (1857), A Journey in the Back Country in the Winter of 1853–4 (1860). These are considered vivid first-person accounts of the antebellum South. A one-volume abridgment, Journeys and Explorations in the Cotton Kingdom (1861),

1976-971: The Grand Necklace of Parks in Milwaukee , Wisconsin ; Cherokee Park and parks and parkway system in Louisville, Kentucky ; Walnut Hill Park in New Britain, Connecticut ; the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina ; the master plans for the University of California, Berkeley , the University of Maine , Stanford University near Palo Alto, California , Mount Holyoke College , The Lawrenceville School ; and Montebello Park in St. Catharines , Ontario . In Chicago his projects include Jackson Park , Washington Park ,

2052-555: The Longwood Medical and Academic Area ) with areas to the southwest, including Forest Hills , West Roxbury and the densely populated suburbs of Norfolk County . The winding nature of the road, and its heavy use by commuters leads to many vehicle collisions. Many of the houses which line Jamaicaway are large and of architectural interest. The oldest houses were created by elite Bostonians for year-round or seasonal use. The person most mentioned in association with Jamaicaway today

2128-796: The Niagara Reservation in Niagara Falls, New York ; one of the first planned communities in the United States, Riverside, Illinois ; Mount Royal Park in Montreal , Quebec ; The Institute of Living in Hartford, Connecticut; Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut; Waterbury Hospital in Waterbury, Connecticut; the Emerald Necklace in Boston , Massachusetts ; Highland Park in Rochester, New York ;

2204-626: The Panic of 1857 . Olmsted provided financial support for, and occasionally wrote for, the magazine The Nation , which was founded in 1865. "Olmsted spent much of his free time working without pay as an editorial assistant to [the magazine's first editor, Edwin L.] Godkin . It was a labor of love." Andrew Jackson Downing , the landscape architect from Newburgh, New York , was one of the first to propose developing New York City's Central Park in his role as publisher of The Horticulturist magazine. A friend and mentor to Olmsted, Downing introduced him to

2280-738: The Red Cross . He tended to the wounded during the American Civil War . In 1862, during Union General George B. McClellan 's Peninsula Campaign , he headed the medical effort for the sick and wounded at White House plantation in New Kent County , which had a boat landing on the Pamunkey River . He was one of the six founding members of the Union League Club of New York . He helped to recruit and outfit three African-American regiments of

2356-618: The Union Army during the Civil War. Olmsted was born in Hartford, Connecticut , on April 26, 1822. His father, John Olmsted, was a prosperous merchant who took a lively interest in nature, people, and places; Frederick Law and his younger brother, John Hull Olmsted, also showed this interest. His mother, Charlotte Law (née Hull) Olmsted, died from an overdose before his fourth birthday in 1826. His father remarried in 1827 to Mary Ann Bull, who shared her husband's strong love of nature and had perhaps

Jamaicaway - Misplaced Pages Continue

2432-640: The United States Colored Troops in New York City. He contributed to organizing a Sanitary Fair , which raised one million dollars for the United States Sanitary Commission . He worked for the Sanitary Commission to the point of exhaustion: "Part of the problem was his need to maintain control over all aspects of the commission's work. He refused to delegate and he had an appetite for authority and power." By January 1863

2508-486: The University of Chicago , as well as the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago, among many other projects. Olmsted was an important early leader of the conservation movement in the United States. An expert on California, he was likely one of the gentlemen "of fortune, of taste and of refinement" who proposed, through Senator John Conness, that Congress designate Yosemite Valley and Mariposa Big Tree Grove as public reserves. This

2584-562: The basketball technique of dribbling was developed at the New Britain YMCA . In 1938, New Britain High School competed in the high school football national championship game in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. 1954 saw the development of racquetball , also at the YMCA. The heads of the fire and police departments and seven other municipal employees were arrested as part of a corruption scandal in

2660-488: The planned Chicago suburb of Riverside, Illinois ; the park system for Buffalo, New York ; Milwaukee 's grand necklace of parks; and the Niagara Reservation at Niagara Falls and Belle Isle in Detroit. Olmsted conceived of entire systems of parks and interconnecting parkways to connect certain cities to green spaces. Some of the best examples of the scale on which he worked are the park system designed for Buffalo, one of

2736-563: The 1880s, he was active in efforts to conserve the natural wonders of Niagara Falls , threatened with industrialization by the building of electrical power plants. At the same time, he campaigned to preserve the Adirondack region in upstate New York. He was one of the founders of the American Society of Landscape Architects in 1898. Olmsted was also known to oppose park projects on conservationist grounds. In 1891, Olmsted refused to develop

2812-613: The 1970s. New Britain's motto, Industria implet alveare et melle fruitur —translated from Latin—means "Industry fills the hive and enjoys the honey." This phrase was coined by Elihu Burritt , a 19th-century New Britain resident, diplomat, philanthropist and social activist. In 2007 it was reported that the Latin word for "honey" in the motto had been a typo for decades; it should be melle , but it had long been misspelled as mele . Former mayor William McNamara, who unsuccessfully tried to fix it during his term, suggested "to either fix

2888-613: The English-born architect Calvert Vaux , whom Downing had brought to the U.S. as his architectural collaborator. After Downing died in July 1852 in a widely publicized fire on the Hudson River steamboat Henry Clay , Olmsted and Vaux entered the Central Park design competition together, against Egbert Ludovicus Viele among others. Vaux had invited the less experienced Olmsted to participate in

2964-466: The Olmsted Brothers firm did a park plan for Portland, Maine , in 1905, creating a series of connecting parkways between existing parks and suggesting improvements to those parks. The oldest of these parks, Deering Oaks, had been designed by City Engineer William Goodwin in 1879 but is today frequently described as a Frederick Law Olmsted-designed park. A residence hall at the University of Hartford

3040-455: The Polish community has been credited with revitalizing the area both culturally and economically. Media is served by three Polish language newspapers and a television station, and many businesses and civil agencies are bilingual. The post office branch in Little Poland is the only one in the nation with the word "post" written in Polish to welcome visitors. Each year, a Little Poland festival

3116-660: The US Ryszard Schnepf , who toured the area with US Senators Chris Murphy and Richard Blumenthal , US Congresswoman Elizabeth Esty , as well as several members of the Polish Sejm . An honorary Polish consulate was established in March 2017. The first of its kind in Connecticut, it was established by Polish diplomat to the United States Piotr Wilczek . In September 2019, Polish President Andrzej Duda became

Jamaicaway - Misplaced Pages Continue

3192-472: The city is often playfully referred to as "New Britski." New Britain was settled in 1687 and incorporated as a new parish as the New Britain Society in 1754. Chartered in 1850 as a township and in 1871 as a city, New Britain had separated from the nearby towns of Farmington and Berlin , Connecticut. A consolidation charter was adopted in 1905. During the early part of the 20th century, New Britain

3268-576: The city. Planes invented by Leonard Bailey and manufactured by the Stanley Rule and Level Company, known as "Stanley/Bailey" planes, were prized by woodworkers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries and remain popular among wood craftsmen today. The two companies merged in 1920, and the Stanley Rule and Level Company became the Hand Tools Division of Stanley Works. The wire coat hanger was invented in 1869 by O. A. North of New Britain. In 1895,

3344-525: The common comforts and consolations of civilized life. Their destitution is not material only; it is intellectual and it is moral ... They were neither generous nor hospitable and their talk was not that of evenly courageous men. Between his travels in Europe and the South, Olmsted served as an editor for Putnam's Magazine for two years and as an agent with Dix, Edwards and Co., before the company's insolvency during

3420-432: The cotton monopoly in some way did them more harm than good; and although the written narration of what I saw was not intended to set this forth, upon reviewing it for the present publication, I find the impression has become a conviction. He argued that slavery had made the slave states inefficient (a set amount of work took 4 times as long in Virginia as in the North) and backward both economically and socially. He said that

3496-493: The design competition with him, having been impressed with Olmsted's theories and political contacts. Prior to this, in contrast with the more experienced Vaux, Olmsted had never designed or executed a landscape design. Their Greensward Plan was announced in 1858 as the winning design. On his return from the South, Olmsted began executing their plan almost immediately. Olmsted and Vaux continued their informal partnership to design Prospect Park in Brooklyn from 1865 to 1873. That

3572-458: The development. As of the census of 2020, there were 74,135 people. The racial makeup of the city was 38.1% Non-Hispanic White , 42.7% Hispanic or Latino (of any race), 14.2% African American , 0.4% Native American , 2.7% Asian , 0.0% Pacific Islander and 11.7% from two or more races. There were 28,261 households, out of which 33.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 29.4% were married couples living together, 25.6% had

3648-438: The first head of state to visit New Britain when he addressed thousands in Walnut Hill Park prior to traveling to New York City for the United Nations General Assembly . Duda was joined by a variety of Connecticut politicians, including Governor Ned Lamont , U.S. Representative Jahana Hayes and Senators Chris Murphy and Richard Blumenthal . Natives of New Britain have a fairly unmarked Connecticut accent , though there

3724-478: The grounds for the Hudson River State Hospital for the Insane in Poughkeepsie . In 1883, Olmsted established what is considered to be the first full-time landscape architecture firm in Brookline, Massachusetts . He called the home and office compound Fairsted . It is now the restored Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site . From there Olmsted designed Boston's Emerald Necklace , the campuses of Wellesley College , Smith College , Stanford University and

3800-456: The land were strangely unused, or were used with poor economy.' He thought that the lack of a Southern white middle class and the general poverty of lower-class whites prevented the development of many civil amenities that were taken for granted in the North. The citizens of the cotton States, as a whole, are poor. They work little, and that little, badly; they earn little, they sell little; they buy little, and they have little – very little – of

3876-475: The landscape was not in any one individual waterfall, cliff, or tree, but in the "miles of scenery where cliffs of awful height and rocks of vast magnitude and of varied and exquisite coloring, are banked and fringed and draped and shadowed by the tender foliage of noble and lovely trees and bushes, reflected from the most placid pools, and associated with the most tranquil meadows, the most playful streams, and every variety of soft and peaceful pastoral beauty". In

SECTION 50

#1732855458978

3952-451: The largest projects; the system he designed for Milwaukee, and the park system designed for Louisville, Kentucky , which was one of only four completed Olmsted-designed park systems in the world. Olmsted was a frequent collaborator with architect Henry Hobson Richardson , for whom he devised the landscaping schemes for half a dozen projects, including Richardson's commission for the Buffalo State Asylum . In 1871, Olmsted and Vaux designed

4028-643: The latter near Central Connecticut State University. New Britain is served by Connecticut Transit New Britain . New Britain has a nearby Amtrak station in adjacent Berlin . The Vermonter (once daily) and Amtrak Hartford Line (multiple daily arrivals/departures) provide service to destinations throughout the northeastern United States. There is also a Berlin stop on the CT Rail Hartford Line , which provides northbound service to Hartford and Springfield , and southbound service towards New Haven . Bradley International Airport ( BDL ) in Windsor Locks and Tweed New Haven Airport ( HVN ) in East Haven are

4104-610: The main park ground for the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition , the southern portion of Chicago's emerald necklace boulevard ring , and the University of Chicago campus. In Washington, D.C. , he worked on the landscape surrounding the United States Capitol building. The quality of Olmsted's landscape architecture was recognized by his contemporaries, who showered him with prestigious commissions. Daniel Burnham said of him, "He paints with lakes and wooded slopes; with lawns and banks and forest-covered hills; with mountainsides and ocean views...." His work, especially in Central Park, set

4180-461: The northwestern corner of the city. Public transportation is provided by Connecticut Transit . Downtown New Britain serves as the southern terminus of CTfastrak , a bus rapid transit line. Operated by Connecticut Transit , the project officially broke ground in May 2012, and became operational in March 2015. The route's northern terminus is Union Station in Hartford . There are also CTfastrak stations on East Main Street and East Street ,

4256-408: The park. Non-native species planted for the sake of their own uniqueness was seen as defeating the purpose of design, as that very uniqueness would draw attention to itself where the intention is to enable relaxation: utility above all else was an objective. Separation applied to areas designed in different styles and different uses enhancing safety and reducing distraction. A key feature of Central Park

4332-402: The preeminent landscape architecture and planning consultancy of the late 19th-century United States, which was carried on and expanded by his sons, Frederick Jr. and John C., under the name Olmsted Brothers . Other projects that Olmsted was involved in include the country's first and oldest coordinated system of public parks and parkways in Buffalo, New York ; the country's oldest state park,

4408-420: The profits of slavery were enjoyed by no more than 8,000 owners of large plantations; a somewhat larger group had about the standard of living of a New York City policeman, but the proportion of the free white men who were as well-off as a Northern working man was small. Slavery meant that 'the proportion of men improving their condition was much less than in any Northern community; and that the natural resources of

4484-510: The renovation, the mature landscape plan for the residence was not altered. A widening of Spring Valley Road during the late twentieth century did eliminate some Olmsted landscaping that included a cascading bank of native ferns lining a roadside stretch of the property that extended along the road from Blackberry Lane to the eponymous van Beuren Road that divided the family property from its northern boundary to its southern boundary at Blue Mill Road. New Britain, Connecticut New Britain

4560-420: The south shore of Staten Island . His father helped him acquire this farm, and he renamed it from Akerly Homestead to Tosomock Farm . It was later renamed "The Woods of Arden" by owner Erastus Wiman . The house in which Olmsted lived still stands at 4515 Hylan Boulevard , near Woods of Arden Road. Olmsted had a significant career in journalism. In 1850 he traveled to England to visit public gardens, where he

4636-404: The spelling immediately" or "switch to the English version of the motto." As controversy arose from the matter, the word was superseded with the correct spelling, melle . According to the United States Census Bureau , the city has a total area of 13.4 square miles (34.7 km ), of which 13.3 square miles (34.6 km ) is land and 0.1 square mile (0.2 km ) (0.52%)

SECTION 60

#1732855458978

4712-435: The support of the men who put him in charge, Olmsted resigned on Sept. 1, 1863." Yet within a month he was on his way to California. In 1863, Olmsted went west to become the manager of the newly established Rancho Las Mariposas–Mariposa gold mining estate in the Sierra Nevada mountains in California . The estate had been sold by John C. Fremont to New York banker, Morris Ketchum , in January of that same year. The mine

4788-407: The trouble of needing to double back on foot. The Promenade was lined with slender elms and offered views of Sheep Meadow. Affluent New Yorkers, who rarely walked through the park, mixed with the less well-to-do in the Terrace areas, and all enjoyed an escape from the hustle and bustle of the surrounding city. However, the most wealthy among them employed the firm to landscape their country estates in

4864-517: The whole space is enhanced; concealment of design, design that does not call attention to itself; design that works on the unconscious to produce relaxation; and utility or purpose over ornamentation. A bridge, a pathway, a tree, a pasture: any and all elements are brought together to produce a particular effect. Olmsted designed primarily in pastoral and picturesque styles, each to achieve a particular effect. The pastoral style featured vast expanses of green with small lakes, trees, and groves and produced

4940-414: The widow of his brother John, who died in 1857. Daniel Fawcett Tiemann , the mayor of New York, officiated the wedding. Olmsted adopted Mary's three children (his nephews and niece), John Charles Olmsted (born 1852), Charlotte Olmsted (born 1855), and Owen Frederick Olmsted (born 1857). Frederick and Mary also had two children together who survived infancy: a daughter, Marion (born October 28, 1861), and

5016-449: Was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 88 males. In 2021, the median income for a household in the city was $ 51,586, and for a family, was $ 67,482. The per capita income for the city was $ 26,152. 19.9% of the population below the poverty line (Poverty Rate is 15.4% for White Non-Hispanic residents, 25.7% for Hispanic or Latino residents). New Britain has the largest Polish population of any city in Connecticut, and by 1930

5092-487: Was established in 1954. The Holy Cross, St. Francis of Assisi and St. Joseph Catholic schools merged into Saint John Paul II School in 2006; the Holy Cross parish sponsored the consolidated school. The archdiocese closed the SJP School in 2015. At the time of its closing, SJP school had debts of over $ 300,000. Connecticut Route 9 is the city's main expressway connecting traffic between Hartford (via I-84 and I-91 ) and Old Saybrook and Middletown . I-84 itself clips

5168-437: Was followed by other projects. Vaux remained in the shadow of Olmsted's grand public personality and social connections. The design of Central Park embodies Olmsted's social consciousness and commitment to egalitarian ideals. Influenced by Downing and his observations regarding social class in England, China, and the American South, Olmsted believed that the common green space must always be equally accessible to all citizens, and

5244-479: Was greatly impressed by Joseph Paxton 's Birkenhead Park . He subsequently wrote and published Walks and Talks of an American Farmer in England in 1852. This supported his getting additional work. His visit to Birkenhead Park inspired his later contribution to the design of Central Park in New York City. Interested in the slave economy, he was commissioned by the New York Daily Times (now The New York Times ) to embark on an extensive research journey through

5320-493: Was known as the "Hardware Capital of the World", as well as "Hardware City". Major manufacturers, such as The Stanley Works , the P&F Corbin Company (later Corbin Locks), Landers, Frary & Clark (LF&C) and North & Judd, were headquartered in the city. In 1843 Frederick Trent Stanley established Stanley's Bolt Manufactory in New Britain to make door bolts and other wrought-iron hardware. In 1857 his cousin Henry Stanley founded The Stanley Rule and Level Company in

5396-466: Was named in his honor. Olmsted Point , located in Yosemite National Park , was named after Olmsted and his son Frederick. The Olmsted Center located in Queens, NY pays an homage to Frederick Law Olmsted. The Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site is located in Brookline, Massachusetts in his former home. Olmsted is known as the "father of American Landscape Architecture ". On June 13, 1859, Olmsted married Mary Cleveland (Perkins) Olmsted,

5472-517: Was noted for its industry during the 19th and early 20th centuries, and notable sites listed on the National Register of Historic Places include Walnut Hill Park , developed by the landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted and Downtown New Britain . The city's official nickname is the "Hardware City" because of its history as a manufacturing center and as the headquarters of Stanley Black & Decker . Because of its large Polish population ,

5548-465: Was published in England during the first six months of the American Civil War , at the suggestion of Olmsted's English publisher. To this, he wrote a new introduction (on "The Present Crisis"). He stated his views on the effect of slavery on the economy and social conditions of the southern states: My own observation of the real condition of the people of our Slave States, gave me ... an impression that

5624-447: Was the first land set aside by Congress for public use. Olmsted served a one-year appointment on the Board of Commissioner of the state reserve, and his 1865 report to Congress on the board's recommendations laid an ethical framework for the government to reserve public lands, to protect their "value to posterity". He described the "sublime" and "stately" landscape, emphasizing that the value of

5700-456: Was to be defended against private encroachment. This principle is now fundamental to the idea of a "public park", but was not assumed as necessary then. Olmsted's tenure as Central Park commissioner was a long struggle to preserve that idea. In 1861, Olmsted took leave as director of Central Park to work in Washington, D.C., as Executive Secretary of the U.S. Sanitary Commission , a precursor to

5776-484: Was unsuccessful. "By 1865, the Mariposa Company was bankrupt, Olmsted returned to New York, and the land and mines were sold at a sheriff's sale." In 1865, he was appointed to the first board of commissioners for managing the newly established Yosemite Valley and Mariposa Grove land grants. In 1865, he and Vaux formed Olmsted, Vaux & Co. When Olmsted returned to New York, he and Vaux designed Prospect Park ;

#977022