While the Park Commission was
deciding the fate of the overall park plan in Boston, Olmsted was engaged in a project
that he would eventually include in the system. Charles Sprague Sargent asked him to help
design the new Arnold Arboretum in Boston. Harvard University actually owned the grounds
of the Arboretum, but Sargent wanted them to be incorporated into the Boston park. Sargent
was able to commit the city to levying the funds to layout the land, while Sargent was
allowed to plant it, thus Harvard's scientific experiments could be carried out. At first,
President Eliot of the University and city officials was not in favor of the plan, but
eventually the Arboretum was included in the plan.For more information:
