Lake Wales recognized for Olmsted legacy

A national organization has recognized Lake Wales’ connection to the Olmsted design legacy while calling for a restoration of its planner’s vision of a garden city.

The Cultural Landscape Foundation, based in Washington, D.C., has included Lake Wales in a list of 12 North American sites planned by Frederick Law Olmsted Sr., the firm he founded or its successor firms. Olmsted’s son, Frederick Law Olmsted Jr., drafted a design for Lake Wales in 1931, and the city is now pursuing a range of projects aimed at adding elements of his original concept.