Join the Friends of Olmsted-Beil House for a fascinating presentation by Justin Martin, author of Genius of Place: The Life of Frederick Law Olmsted. Justin will highlight Olmsted’s travels to England while he lived at Tosomock Farm on Staten Island, and his subsequent writings about these travels. Olmsted departed from Staten Island for a walking tour of England in April 1850, returned in October, and both wrote (1851) and published (1852) his observations in Walks and Talks of an American farmer in England while on Staten Island. Justin will discuss how these travels influenced Olmsted’s social thinking and landscape designs.
This program is offered in partnership with the Friends of the Olmsted-Beil House as part of the ongoing celebrations for Frederick Law Olmsted’s 200th birthday year, Olmsted 200.
About Justin Martin: Justin Martin’s specialty is American history, meticulously researched, but delivered in a narrative style that’s akin to fiction. He’s the author of five critically acclaimed books including Genius of Place. His other titles have covered topics ranging from America’s first Bohemian artists to Antietam, a pivotal Civil War battle. Martin’s articles have appeared in publications across the country including The New York Times, San Francisco Chronicle, and Lawrence (KS) Journal World. Martin is a 1987 graduate of Rice University in Houston, Texas. He lives with his wife and twin sons in Forest Hills Gardens, a landmark NYC neighborhood designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr.
