This Land Is Your Land: Parks and Public Spaces

Interpretation of Parks

Harry Hampton With the Bald Cypress Tree That Was Later Named for Him.

Photograph of Harry Hampton, first major advocate who first started writing and talking on creating the Congaree preserve in the 1950s

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The idea of setting aside green spaces as parks is not a recent idea, but in the second half of the 19th century the idea of creating and protecting some areas of the country as places that could be preserved on a grander scale expanded into something bigger. In the 20th century, the policies and management of these protected areas inspired a nation while at the same time helping to set a foundation for parks around the world.
What started off as a landscape turned into a place where roads, visitor centers, research centers, and other facilities were needed to maintain the integrity of these areas. The creation of the parks was not based just on the physical layout, but the political and managerial aspects as well that were need to decide what land the parks would maintain and how that would be done on such a large scale.

Building the Parks

Landscapes

Protecting the Parks

Stewards of the Parks

Wildlife and People

First Filene Center in Wolf Trap National Park.

The Following Item: One 8" x 10" glossy black-and-white photograph of the Wolf Trap Park Center, July 14, 1971. Photo by Jack Rottier, National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior. This photo is part of the Board of Directors Meeting on Thursday September 30, 1971. 

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The original Filene Center in Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts (Virginia) was built in 1971.  It was designed to be in harmony with the idyllic setting of the park, a style playfully known as “Parkitecture.” A fire completely destroyed the facility in 1982 and a new Filene Center was completed in 1984.

This Land Is Your Land: Parks and Public Spaces

Reconstruction

Reconstruction