The Olmsted Conference 2024
This September 13- September 15, the Olmsted Network’s 2024 Annual Conference will host Landscapes of Renewal: Olmsted, Vaux, and Downing. The Fullerton is a proud partner and looks forward to attending to deep our understanding of landscape architect Frederick Olmsted, legacy of Andrew Jackson Downing and the greater Newburgh community.
Credit: Scenic Hudson
The Olmsted Network’s 2024 Annual Conference will focus on treasured landscapes in the Hudson Valley. Please join us in New York on September 14 and/or September 15 as we explore Downing Park in Newburgh and Vassar College in Poughkeepsie.
On the first day of our conference, we’ll focus on Newburgh, NY, and Downing Park, the last great work of Frederick Law Olmsted, Calvert Vaux and their sons. This beautiful park was created in 1897 as a memorial to landscape designer and Newburgh resident Andrew Jackson Downing.
Downing Park is like a miniature Central Park, but it has seen better days. A thoughtful master plan was released in the early 1990s. Since then, Downing Park Conservancy has been working hard to build membership and resources. Its efforts are being bolstered by the Garden Club of Orange and Dutchess Counties and others interested in renewing this great green space in the heart of the city. Part of their challenge is adapting the great space to modern needs, while retaining landscape integrity and design.
Saturday, September 14 | Conference Day 1: Downing Park in Newburgh
8:30 AM: Coffee and pastries, Calvary Presbyterian Church, Newburgh with Welcoming remarks from Olmsted Network and Mayor Torrance Harvey. See Student video with Newburgh Free Academy-West
9:35 AM: Keynote | Author and scholar Frank Kowsky, SUNY Distinguished Professor Emeritus and Fellow of the Society of Architectural Historians
10:35 PM: Keynote | Landscape architect Sara Zewde, Assistant Professor of Practice at Harvard University Graduate School of Design
11:45 AM: Panel Discussion | Roads to Renewal
• Moderator: Marjorie Greville, Olmsted Network Board
• Lucy Lawliss, Landscape Historian & Consultant
• Morgan Monaco, President, Prospect Park Alliance
• Duane Martinez, Director of River Cities Program, Scenic Hudson
1 PM: Community Conversation & Working Lunch
• Karen Eberle-McCarthy, President, Downing Park Conservancy
• Kathy Lawrence, Greater Newburgh Parks Conservancy | Environmental Justice Fellows
• Mary McTamaney, Newburgh City Historian
1:45 PM: Panel Discussion | Activating Parks for all People
Introduction: Fenella Heckscher, The Garden Club of Orange & Dutchess Counties
• Moderator: Pam Breeman, The Garden Club of Orange & Dutchess Counties
• Virginia Kasinki, Executive Director, Newburgh Urban Farm and Food Initiative
• Brad Taylor, Executive Director, Friends of Morningside Park
• Rosamond Fletcher, Executive Director, Fort Greene Park Conservancy
3:15 PM: Tours of Downing Park with Elinor Hart, Mary Elin Korchinsky, Madelane Knaggs
4:30 PM: Bus tour of other local historic sites, including Washinton Headquarters on Liberty Street.
