Vaux, Calvert

Vaux, Calvert

(1824–95) landscape designer, architect; born in London, England. Emigrating at age 25 to work with Andrew Jackson Downing, he designed country houses and published Villas and Gardens (1852). A pioneer in the public parks movement, he joined Frederick Law Olmsted (1857–72) and together they produced the winning design for New York City's Central Park (1858–76). Vaux also contributed to Brooklyn's Prospect Park. After leaving Olmsted, he designed Ottawa's Parliament grounds, which influenced Canadian landscape design.

The Cambridge Dictionary of American Biography, by John S. Bowman. Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1995. Reproduced with permission.