Two months after the National Association for Olmsted Parks (NAOP) hosted their Olmsted Birthday Gala in New York City, they headed out to the Midwest for the Olmsted Bicentennial Gala, on June 17, 2022, at the picturesque Glessner House in Chicago, IL.
The Glessner House was designed by Olmsted friend and neighbor Henry Hobson Richardson, and it is the home where Olmsted stayed when designing the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition. The cocktail hour included tours of the house as well as excerpts of panels from Frederick Law Olmsted: Landscapes for the Public Good and a special exhibit designed by William Tyre, Executive Director and Curator of Glessner House Museum.
Guests included internationally recognized artist David Lee Csicko, who designed Olmsted 200’s charming FLO graphic. At the gala, Csicko came face-to-face with a larger-than-life-sized version of his creation when he meet our “FLO Big Head” for the first time.
As the crowd mingled and explored the courtyard before dinner, guests enjoyed centerpieces by the Kenilworth Garden Club and a custom cocktail (with coffee and pickles) called the Olmsted.
After dinner was served, NAOP President and CEO Anne “Dede” Neal Petri spoke about Olmsted’s legacy in the MidWest before turning it over to NAOP Board Chair Phillip Shultz, Washington Park Camera Club President Vanessa Thomas, and editor Victoria Ranney. Excerpts of their toast can be found here.
To view a full selection of photos from the evening, click here.
The weekend also included a carillon concert at Rockefeller Memorial Chapel and a bus tour of Chicago’s Olmsted parks guided by Julia Bachrach. See those photos here.
