Come join this one hour walking tour of Latrobe Park in South Baltimore, organized as part of Doors Open Baltimore by the Baltimore Architecture Foundation in celebration of Olmsted 200, the Bicentennial of Frederick Law Olmsted Sr’s birth.

In 1904, the Board of Park Commissioners retained the Olmsted Brothers Landscape Architecture firm to provide a plan for the proposed Latrobe Park. Located in South Baltimore, the park still has traces of Olmsted design elements. Originally only 6 acres in size, this park was created to serve the working class neighborhoods on the Locust Point peninsula. Unlike much larger plans for Patterson and Clifton Parks also begun in 1904, what distinguishes Latrobe Park was the amount of active recreation that had to fit in a tight space in response to the Recreation and Playground movements in the early 20th century. Significant improvements to the park demonstrate strong community partnership and continued use. This past May, a bronze plaque honoring the Olmsted-design was dedicated at the park’s entrance and the first phase of the restoration of “The Longhouse” pavilion kicked off with a mural designed by a local artist and painted by the neighborhood community.

Special thanks to tour partners: Friends of Maryland Parks and Landscapes (FMOPL), Locust Point Civic Association, the Maryland Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects (MD ASLA), and Baltimore City Recreation and Parks