Questions 1-9
In 1903 the members of the governing board of the University of Washington. in
Seattle. engaged a firm of landscape architects, specialists in the design of outdoor
environments--OImsted Brothers of Brookline, Massachusetts-to advise them on an
Line appropriate layout for the university grounds. The plan impressed the university officials,
(5) and in time many of its recommendations were implemented. City officials in Seattle, the largest city in the northwestern United States, were also impressed, for they employed the same organization to study Seattle's public park needs. John Olmsted did the investigation
and subsequent report on Seattle's parks. He and his brothers believed that parks should
be adapted to the local topography, utilize the area's trees and shrubs, and be available to
(10) the entire community. They especially emphasized the need for natural, serene settings
where hurried urban dwellers could periodically escape from the city. The essence of the
Olmsted park plan was to develop a continuous driveway, twenty miles long, that would
tie together a whole series of parks, playgrounds, and parkways. There would be local
parks and squares, too, but all of this was meant to supplement the major driveway,
(15) which was to remain the unifying factor for the entire system.
In November of 1903 the city council of Seattle adopted the Olmsted Report, and
it automatically became the master plan for the city's park system. Prior to this report,
Seattle's park development was very limited and funding meager. All this changed
after the report. Between 1907 and 1913, city voters approved special funding measures