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synopsis

The Thomas Crane Library was built in 1881 by renowned architect Henry Hobson Richardson, a frequent collaborator of the Olmsted Firm. Frederick Law Olmsted joined the project in the same year, designing the grounds of the library. His first project was to regrade the site and make it level with the street to create a flat canvas for the construction of the library.

The Thomas Crane Library was built in 1881 by renowned architect Henry Hobson Richardson, a frequent collaborator of the Olmsted Firm. Frederick Law Olmsted joined the project in the same year, designing the grounds of the library. His first project was to regrade the site and make it level with the street to create a flat canvas for the construction of the library. Working to showcase the gray and red stone facade of the building, Olmsted’s planting plan called for an open green turf, sparsely decorated with scattered shrubbery along the grounds. The Olmsted Brothers revisited the project in 1913 and were asked by the city of Quincy, MA, to advise on “the adjustment of the library grounds to the proposed widening”. [Report by J.C. Olmsted_1913-22-04_LOC-OAR-B-00624_im.2

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