Landscape Information
Located approximately one mile south of downtown between Washington Street and Maple Avenue, this 33-acre, trapezoidal, property was established in 1822 to provide a restorative environment for those suffering from mental illness.
In 1860 Superintendent Dr. John S. Butler engaged landscape architects Frederick Law Olmsted, Sr., and Calvert Vaux to design and improve the swampy grounds. East of the main building (constructed pre-1850, with 1870s additions) parallel to Washington Street, they introduced an expansive meadow, sloping gently towards Maple Avenue. Encircled by a curvilinear drive and path and flanked by a circular garden to the south and an orchard to the northeast, this area was referred to as Retreat Park, intended to provide a tranquil, therapeutic setting for patients. Olmsted called upon landscape gardener and botanist Jacob Weidenmann to supervise construction, overseeing regrading and drainage. Weidenmann planted trees throughout, grouping elms, hemlocks, and lilacs, and also planting individual specimen trees, including copper beeches.
Recreational amenities were later established, including a nine-hole golf course in the 1930s, and subsequently pools and tennis courts. By the 1980s a parking lot was established to the north, encroaching upon the meadow. Today a curvilinear drive traces the property鈥檚 perimeter, edged by buildings and enclosed by brick walls and wrought-iron fences. Much of the original design remains, such as the lawn that is framed by deciduous canopy specimens鈥攊ncluding sweet gum, katsura, and Japanese zelkova trees鈥攁long with newer elements such as the lawn鈥檚 circular fountain that is surrounded by a yew hedge.
Unlike other 19th century asylum grounds that have been demolished or converted to other uses (e.g., hotels and housing), Hartford鈥檚 Institute of Living, the first asylum of many designed by Olmsted and Vaux, has continued to serve patients for more than two centuries.
