Frederick G. Todd and the Origins of the Park System in Canada’s Capital

Abstract

Frederick G. Todd (1876-1948) trained in Frederick Law Olmsted’s office, was a founder of the Town Planning Institute of Canada, and was perhaps Canada’s first professional landscape architect. In 1903, Todd prepared a preliminary parks plan for the Canadian capital, which considered both Ottawa and its sister city Hull, located across the river in the province of Québec. However, the Ottawa Improvement Commission declined to retain him as a regular consultant and relied on its technical staff for design and construction. Many of Todd’s recommended parks and parkways were incorporated in the future plans of Edward H. Bennett (1915), Noulan Cauchon (1923), and Jacques Gréber (1950).