The Linear Park on Ponce de Leon Avenue:
Restoring a Park by Olmsted

April 29, 2006

In 1893 Frederick Law Olmsted delivered a plan which included the layout of a linear park running along Ponce de Leon Avenue. The park—or technically string of parks—is visible in the green areas in the map above. At several points Olmsted's characteristic genius for giving long views of green meadow is on display, the trees masking the fact that just beyond lies one of Atlanta's major thoroughfares.

I don't think anyone ever quite envisaged just how busy Ponce de Leon Avenue would become. It is one of many ordinary streets that have been pressed into service as Atlanta has grown exponentially. My guess is that in the original conception, this linear park would have lined a quiet suburban lane.

Even today beautiful old homes line the side of Ponce de Leon Avenue, or the winding parallel South Ponce de Leon. Many of these have been converted into headquarters for non-profit organizations, but they obviously once stood as houses.. and I don't think one builds such houses along major-thoroughfares.

Along the cement paths that run through the parks, the visitor comes across helpful interpretive signs, with old pictures and even bits and pieces of the old plans. I was fascinated to find that Ponce was once envisioned as lined by trees. To the north and south of the park are squares that I take to be the locations for plush houses set back from the quiet street.

The picture above is of the trolley that once ran along Ponce (I am unsure just where the line ran). I take this as further evidence that the area was once a good deal more pastoral in character. For some reason I always find it surprising to learn that choices for public transportation were actually pared back over the course of the 20th century.

One sign that stands facing the cars on Ponce measures the money-raising efforts of the "Olmsted Linear Park Alliance." Their goal is to raise $4.8 million to rehabilitate and care for the park. I could see by their thermometer-style measure that they have almost reached the goal.. and I wish them luck. But I sometimes question the choices. Above is an example of recent landscaping added to the park.. and such additions are present in many spots. The Alliance, I suspect, includes these as part of the 2,600 trees and shrubs added "according to a 1902 Olmsted plan." But this landscaping too often seems aimed at prettifying the path along generally suburban tastes. If anything is notable to me about Olmsted's designs, it is his ability to think in terms of a total experience.. and to use trees and shrubs to open up or close in an environment.. not simply to prettify a walk.

The visitor also comes across the above playground for children. Part of a family-friendly program, I imagine.. which would indeed be nice for those living nearby. But that semi-monumental stone "bridge" really is too much.

Preservation of a historic park presents some interesting issues. First, the notion of authorship is much weaker when it comes to an original design for a park. It is obvious that changes will be made to suit those who now make use of the park, and aesthetic choices to conform to contemporary tastes. Second, the context of the park has been transformed along with the transformation of transportation modes and the population growth of the Atlanta area. The character of Druid Hills cannot be anything like what Olmsted and contemporaries imagined. But the fact that so much money is being successfully collected is wonderful..