People often associate landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted with Central Park in New York City, the US Capitol grounds in Washington, D.C., and the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC. However, Olmsted also created the Olmsted Linear Park, a series of six adjacent parks in Atlanta’s Druid Hills neighborhood. We finally had the chance to explore the 22-acre Deepdene Park, the largest of the six linear parks. Over 100 years old, the park remains a tranquil setting for enjoying the outdoors.
Olmsted Linear Park
Hired by Joel Hurt of the Kirkwood Land Company, Olmsted initially designed the 1,500-acre Druid Hills neighborhood and linear park around 1893. However, due to Olmsted’s declining health, the Panic of 1893, and other factors, the project didn’t come to fruition until 1908. By this time, Olmsted’s sons, Frederick Jr. and John, had taken over the now-renamed Olmsted Brothers Company.
The six parks run almost two miles alongside Ponce de Leon Avenue (Hwy 78). Atlantans refer to this simply as ‘Ponce’, and saying ‘Ponce De Leon’ automatically brands you as ‘not from around here.’ From west to east, the parks are Springdale, Virgilee (named after Hurt’s daughter), Oak Grove, Shadyside, Dellwood, and Deepdene.
Deepdene Park
Deepdene is the largest of the parks at 22 acres. The total acreage of all six parks is 44 acres. We arrived at the west entrance and immediately spotted the trail map, which featured various paths.
While the other parks are more open and flat (resembling an ideal spot for sheep grazing), Deepdene offers tons of shade and topographic changes. The park encircles a tributary of nearby Peavine Creek, including steep slopes that add interest to the trails.
Because the paths take you below the street level, noise from passing cars is nonexistent. Several wooden bridges cross over the water while plenty of benches provide places to stop and take in the park’s beauty.
It’s hard to believe that at one time, the park was threatened with the proposed I-485 in the mid-1960s. Sometimes referred to as the east-west Stone Mountain Freeway, it would bisect many historic neighborhoods, including Druid Hills, Inman Park, and Morningside. Because the proposed highway would run eastward, parallel to Ponce, destruction of the Olmsted Linear Parks was inevitable.
By all accounts, the proposed freeway was a “sure thing.” Had it not been for Mayor Maynard Jackson (who was opposed to I-485), lawsuits, environmental concerns, and the opposition of numerous residents, the proposed freeway would have been built. Politicians changed their stances, and in 1975, Governor George Busbee squashed the project once and for all.
Although protected from the wrecking ball, the park faced threats from Mother Nature. Non-native plants from nearby residences, including English ivy and wisteria, took over the area. After the Olympics, the Olmsted Linear Park Alliance (OLPA) was established to raise funds for the restoration of the linear park to Olmsted’s original vision.
With $10 million in hand, OLPA restored the parks, including Deepdene. Landscape architects built bridges, stabilized slopes that had suffered years of erosion, and replanted native trees and shrubs. They even buried utility lines along Ponce by 2011.
At the eastern edge of Deepdene lies the Mead. This open, grassy area encourages kids to throw a football, kick a ball, or just run around. Parents can sit on the surrounding benches. The other parks resemble this section of Deepdene more closely.
Druid Hills Neighborhood
If you’ve ever watched the 1989 movie, “Driving Miss Daisy,” you’ve gotten a glimpse of the Druid Hills neighborhood. Developed in the late 1890s and early 1900s by Joel Hurt, the area features tree-lined streets and a variety of Victorian, Tudor, and Georgian-style mansions. If you find yourself in Atlanta around mid-March, be sure to drive down Lullwater Road. You’ll see the most brilliant display of azaleas in varying shades of pinks, purples, reds, and other colors.
While primarily residential, Druid Hills is also home to Emory University, Fernbank Museum of Natural History, Callanwolde Fine Arts Center, and Druid Hills Country Club. It earned National Register of Historic Places status in 1975 and is considered one of the wealthiest neighborhoods in Atlanta.
Conclusion
Deepdene Park offers a serene oasis in the middle of Atlanta. Featuring a mature tree canopy, gentle hills, and a stream, the park is worthy of a visit. Parking is along North Ponce Street. For more information, please visit the Olmsted Linear Park Alliance (OLPA) website here.
