To the pioneering and preeminent landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted, a park was both art and an urban necessity. Olmsted’s efforts to preserve nature created an environmental ethic decades before the environmental movement became a force in American politics. With gorgeous cinematography, creative animation and compelling commentary, this film presents the biography of a man whose parks, from Central Park to Boston’s “Emerald Necklace” to the U.S. Capitol Grounds, are an essential part of American life.

A Film by Lawrence Hott and Diane Garey. Produced by WNED-TV, Buffalo/Toronto and Florentine Films/Hott Productions Inc.