OLMSTED’S VISION: This Tudor Revival home with Craftsman influences is in Trenton’s Cadwalader Heights, the only residential neighborhood in New Jersey to have been designed by Frederick Law Olmsted. The famed landscape architect is the focus of a lecture on September 10 and a tour of neighborhood homes on September 16.

By Anne Levin

Landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted’s biggest claim to fame was New York’s Central Park. But the Olmsted legacy reaches beyond the masterfully-designed oasis in the middle of Manhattan.  

The man considered to be the father of American landscape architecture designed public green spaces all over the country. Among them are Trenton’s Cadwalader Park and its adjacent Cadwalader Heights, the only residential neighborhood in New Jersey designed by Olmsted, who lived from 1822 to 1902.

The neighborhood and the park are the focus of two upcoming Olmsted-centered events. On Sunday, September 10 at 2 p.m., historian and former Cadwalader Heights resident Glenn R. Modica will give a talk, “Cadwalader Heights: The View from Here” at Ellarslie, Trenton’s City Museum in Cadwalader Park. The following Saturday, September 16 from 12-5 p.m., the neighborhood welcomes visitors to tour its distinctive collection of Georgian, Tudor, Craftsman, and Colonial Revival homes. “A Walk in the Park” is the theme of this year’s tour, which has become an annual tradition for architecture and history buffs since the neighborhood held its first such event more than two decades ago.

“Part of Olmsted’s vision was something he called ‘communitiveness,’” said Erika Knudson, whose home is among those on the tour. “The whole idea of the neighborhood was that people would live in a way that would enhance their connections and make them feel part of  a community. We don’t have the captains of industry living here anymore; we have more of a creative class. But that sense of community has lived on.”

The “captains of industry” who were the original residents included Frank Milner, who owned an iron and steel company; banker Mary Roebling, the first woman in charge of any bank in the United States; William Alfather, whose candy company still operates in Trenton; and Frank Maddock, an heir to Maddock & Sons Pottery.

Today’s “creative class” counts contemporary landscape architect Randy Baum; Princeton Alliance Church spiritual connections director Jennifer Sheridan; graphic designer Tracy Patterson, who works for Princeton University’s Lewis Center for the Arts; and several others involved in education, culture, and the arts among its residents.

In Ms. Sheridan’s circa 1926 house on the corner of Bellevue Avenue, the initial “M” (for Milner) is carved into the front door lintel. Stained glass windows, built-ins, and a foyer and powder room with original Mercer tile are among the unique features. Best of all is the way the house is designed to allow sunlight to move from one room to another, filling the kitchen with warm light in the morning and the living room with a soft glow in the afternoon.

“Light moves from one room to another throughout the day because of the way the house is situated,” said Ms. Knudson of her neighbor’s home. “It’s about the way the house, and other houses in the neighborhood, are facing. And that was intentional.”

Mr. Baum’s circa 1920 home on Ivy Court is another standout, as much for its exterior as its interior. Active in efforts of the Cadwalader Park Alliance, which keeps Olmsted’s vision in line, he has turned the landscape of his own house facing the Delaware and Raritan Canal into a quiet paradise with a terraced garden, stone steps, and lots of open space.

Ms. Knudson thinks Olmsted would be pleased with the fact that his focus on community has continued. “Writing up the brochure for the tour, I have asked people their favorite thing about living here,” she said. “And they all say that it feels like a community. You know your neighbors. And that was Olmsted’s vision.”

Admission to Mr. Modica’s September 10 lecture at Ellarslie is $20 ($15 for Trenton Museum Society members). Admission to the September 16 house tour are $20 in advance, or $25 the day of the tour. It begins at Ellarslie, which is located in the heart of Cadwalader Park off Parkside Avenue. Visit www.cadwaladerheights.com for details and tickets.