Frederick Law Olmstead, an 1822–1903 landscape architect and nineteenth-century visionary who founded the profession of landscape architecture, created the overall design of Walnut Hill Park. Influenced by the parks of Europe and his native New England landscape, he made Walnut Hill Park typical of his work by creating a rural experience in the city. Although many components of the design were not carried out, the park owes its overall character and form to his plan. Before its development as a park, Walnut Hill was a barren hilltop without vegetation or amenities. Walnut Hill Park may have been one of the firm's earliest commissions after New York's Central Park, adding to its national importance. Born in Hartford, Connecticut, Olmstead moved to the New York City area in 1848 and settled in Brookline, Massachusetts, in the early 1880s. His hundreds of designs include New York's Central Park, the Boston Park System, and the United States Capitol Grounds. He is buried in Old North Cemetery in Hartford, Connecticut.