Olmsteds in Holyoke presentation
Wyckoff Neighborhood – TOUR
My special topic for 2022 is Olmsted Parks in Holyoke. This special topic is in line with the 200th year anniversary of Frederick Law Olmsted. Read about the celebration at this LINK. Within Holyoke April 26 2022 was Frederick Law Olmsted Day by proclamation of the mayor.
PARKS:
PARKS
| park | notes | year | LOC letters | Olmstead Plans |
| Elmwood Park | Dingle Park | 1902 to 1909 | LOC | Olmstead |
| Pulaski Park | Prospect Park | designed 1910 completed 1913 | LOC | Olmstead |
| Springdale Park | Riverside Park | 1905 | LOC | Olmstead |
| Jones Point Park | City Park and Highland Park | designed 1909 completed 1912 | LOC | Olmstead |
| Wyckoff Park | TOUR and LIGHTS | 1922 | LOC | Olmstead |
| Mount Tom Country Club | 1922 | LOC | Olmstead |
HOMES: (LOC means Library of Congress)
| former owner | current location | year | Google map | internal link | LOC plans | Olmsted plans |
| Albert Steiger | 170 Mountain View | 1911/1924 | map | link | LOC link | Olmsted plans |
| Albert Steiger | Mountain View (lots 34 35 36) | 1924 | map | link | LOC link | Olmsted plans |
| Joseph Towne | 181 Linden Street | 1924 | map | link | LOC link | Olmsted plans |
| Joseph B Woodruff | 28 Central Park Drive | 1923 | map | link | LOC link | Olmsted plans |
| George and William Prentiss | 1399 Northampton Street but now 15 Carol Lane | 1915 | map | link | LOC link LOC link | Olmsted plans |
| William Skinner | 1155 Northampton Street | 1930 | map | link | LOC link | Olmsted plans |
| James Wakelin | 1067 Northampton Street | 1924 | map | link | LOC link | Olmsted plans |
| Lewis Wyckoff | 1040 Northampton Street | 1927 | map | link | LOC link | Olmsted plans |
| Edward Twing 1923 | 62 Central Park Drive | map | link | LOC link | Olmsted plans | |
| Edward Twing 1925 | 198 and 208 Central Park Drive | 1923 | map | link | LOC link | Olmsted plans |
| Edward Towne | 1021 Northampton Street | 1923 | map | link | LOC link | Olmsted plans |
INSTITUTIONS:
Holyoke Contagious Disease Hospital – PLANS – (year 1905)
Saint Jerome’s Cemetery (year 1940) – Olmsted PLANS
William Whiting farmland – Not much information is available about the plans or even if the plans were meant to be for one of the Whiting family homes that were downtown.
City Beautiful Plan (for Holyoke) – PLAN (found in the 1908 city register)
City Plan (for Holyoke from 1907) – LOC – PHOTOS
Initial Report (from 1901) – see parks department report in city register (pages 207 to 214)
Olmsted Brothers quote about the Holyoke canals:
“The broad canals running through the heart of the manufacturing district form one of the most interesting and characteristic features of the city plan. They occupy a good deal of space and it is obviously desirable to secure as an incident to their main use … as large a return as possible in the way of public enjoyment.”