Olmsted Walk

Olmsted Walk evolved from a carriageway to a walkway and is the main visitor path named for Frederick Law Olmsted, the renowned landscape architect who designed the basic layout and flow of the Zoo. His legacy appears in the green spaces, natural atmosphere, and curves that create changing views with a focus on landscape rather than architecture. In the late 1880s, the Smithsonian approached him to provide preliminary counsel for designing the National Zoo, and he is said to have replied promptly and enthusiastically that the area selected for the Zoo was one of great natural beauty that he had known for 30 years and had hoped would be turned into a park.

Washington, District of Columbia · United States