A Modern Arcadia: Frederick Law Olmsted Jr. & the Plan for Forest Hills Gardens

Located in Queens, fifteen minutes from Manhattan’s Pennsylvania Station, Forest Hills Gardens is a leading example of England’s garden city transplanted onto American soil. The commuter suburb drew national attention when plans for its development were announced by the Russell Sage Foundation in 1909, and the thriving community continues to provide a parklike haven for more than 6,000 residents.

Susan L. Klaus offers a richly illustrated account of the collaboration between architect Grosvenor Atterbury and landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted Jr., who drew on his father’s visionary concepts as well his own ideas about what makes a community work. As Americans continue to struggle with the dual challenge of containing sprawl and creating livable communities, "A Modern Arcadia" provides a timely analysis of one of the most successful places ever built in the United States.