There’s a kind of synergy or something going on when you get to watch a documentary about Frederick Law Olmsted, the country’s greatest public parks designer, while sitting in a public park that an Olmsted actually designed. Hampton Park owes its lovely layout to Frederick’s adopted son, John Charles, who worked with his brother at a landscape design firm they founded in Boston. Though most people know that the elder Olmsted was hugely influential on our urban landscapes, starting with Central Park, the designer also had a hand in developing our state and national parks systems. The film, which was produced by PBS, features interviews with scholars, conservationists, and park advocates about Olmsted’s life and legacy. We can’t help but think he’d be tickled to see a bunch of people watching a movie while lounging in one of Charleston’s greatest urban parks.
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