Early Design in National Parks

Building the National Parks: Historic Landscape Design and Construction
A comprehensive history of the policy, principles, and practices of landscape design through which the natural parks of the National Park System became accessible to ever-increasing numbers of visitors. Written primarily from the perspective of landscape architecture, the book traces the evolution of the naturalistic ethic for park design in the United States from Downing and Olmsted to early twentieth-century practitioners Henry Hubbard and Frank Waugh and finally to the designers of national and state parks.

Lying Lightly on the Land: Building America's National Park Roads and Parkways
An overview and six themes of the exhibit, with the same name, are summarized here as an introduction to a feature which highlights colorful period postcards depicting Yellowstone before the automobile, and eight other parks during the golden age of park road development.

Wilderness by Design: Landscape Architecture and the National Park Service
An important new history of the physical development of America's national parks. This comprehensive study examines the place of our national parks in the larger context of the American park movement and in the history of planned "park development," or landscape architecture. Park planning and design practices are traced from their origins in private estate and municipal park design to their application in larger scenic reservations, particularly in Grand Canyon, Glacier, and Mount Rainier national parks.

Related Programs & Collections

Built in America: HABS/HAER 1933-Present
The National Digital Library, "American Memory" web presentation of the Historic American Buildings Survey/Historic American Engineering Record (HABS/HAER) Collections. It is among the largest and most heavily used collections in the Prints and Photographs Division of the Library of Congress.

Historic American Buildings Survey / Historic American Engineering Record (HABS/HAER)
HABS/HAER reflects the Federal Government's commitment to preserve important architectural, engineering and industrial sites through programs that document outstanding examples of this country's heritage. Project teams produce measured drawings, large-format photography and written histories that are available to the general public through the HABS/HAER Collections which are housed, serviced, and maintained by the Library of Congress.

National Park Service Historic Photograph Collection
A collection of more than two million images which cover a wide variety of subjects: Park architecture, Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), Native American heritage, NPS personnel, roads and transportation, scenic views, and much more. The collections of several eminent National Park Service photographers, including Arno B. Cammerer, George A. Grant, and Abbie Rowe are also included.

The National Register Information System (NRIS)
A computerized index that contains information on each of the historic properties listed in or determined eligible for the National Register of Historic Places. Once the database matches your search query, it will provide you with the name of the properties, their addresses, and links to pertinent Web sites that may provide further information.

Park Historic Structures & Cultural Landscapes (PHS&CL)
PHS&CL provides leadership and coordination to protect and preserve the approximately 26,000 historic structures and 2,600 cultural landscapes in the 379 parks of the National park system. This is accomplished through research to develop an adequate information base for preservation; through planning to consider historic values prior to assignment of use and determine treatment; and through stewardship to protect with no loss of integrity for future generations. Park resources include World Heritage Sites, National Historic Landmarks, and other nationally significant cultural resources, in addition to a diverse collection of state or locally significant resources.

Websites of Featured National Parks