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The Fall and Rise of Central Park

In the decades after Olmsted’s death, many of the parks he created were neglected and misused. For Central Park in New York City, the low point came in the 1970s. The Central Park Conservancy was founded 1980 to bring the park back. Its mission statement: To make the park clean, safe, and beautiful. By the late 1980s, Olmsted and Vaux’s original vision for Central Park had been largely restored.
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Clip Season 1 Episode 1 Length 03:05 Premiere: 06/19/14

Frederick Law Olmsted: Designing America

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Frederick Law Olmsted: Designing America

Known as the father of American landscape architecture, Frederick Law Olmsted made public parks an essential part of American life. He co-designed Central Park, designed the U.S. Capitol Grounds and created park systems in many U.S. cities, including Louisville, Kentucky. His efforts to preserve nature helped shape an "environmental ethic" decades before the modern environmental movement.

  • Wednesday July 22, 2026 2:00 am ET on KET
  • Wednesday July 22, 2026 1:00 am CT on KET
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Frederick Law Olmsted: Designing America

  • Monday July 20, 2026 9:00 pm ET on KET
  • Monday July 20, 2026 8:00 pm CT on KET
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