“Parks & Recreation is pleased to welcome this house, which is so rich in New York history, into its family of historic sites,?EUR??,,????'?? said Parks & Recreation Commissioner Adrian Benepe. ?EUR??,,????'??It was while he was living here that Frederick Law Olmsted and his partner Calvert Vaux put the finishing touches on the plan they developed that won the competition and guided the development of Central Park.?EUR??,,????'??

Frederick Law Olmsted?EUR??,,????'???s father, John, purchased the property for his son in 1848. He redesigned the landscape of the farm, changing it from a wheat farm to a fruit farm and nursery. He imported 5,000 saplings from France including gingkoes, black walnuts, mulberries and lindens. The Cedars of Lebanon that he planted still grow on the site today. Although Frederick Law Olmsted moved to Manhattan in 1859, the property remained in his family until 1866.

Frederick Law Olmsted remained active in Staten Island civic life while he lived in Manhattan and he returned in 1866. He joined the Staten Island Improvement Commission of 1870, which created the nation?EUR??,,????'???s first regional plan for parks. Although not wholly adopted, many of the recommended parks were eventually built, including Clove Lakes, Silver Lake, Eibs Pond, Wolfe?EUR??,,????'???s Pond and the Staten Island Greenbelt.

Since 1961, Carlton Beil lived in the house with his wife Louise and daughters Carlotta, Eloise and Felicity. Preferring that the historic house be preserved for the future, the Beils chose to sell the house to Parks & Recreation.

The Olmsted-Beil House is located on 1.7 acres at 4515 Hylan Boulevard in Eltingville, Staten Island. The historic house will be used for educational purposes and the surrounding land as a public park.