Olmsted film coming Saturday to Pearson

Fort Vancouver National Historic Site will host a free screening of the PBS film “Frederick Law Olmsted: Designing America” at 1 p.m. Saturday.

The 60-minute film will be shown in the Tex Rankin Theater at Pearson Air Museum, 1115 E. Fifth St.

It will be introduced by Laurence Cotton of Portland, the film’s originator, principal researcher and consulting producer.

Frederick Law Olmsted is credited with creating the modern profession of landscape architecture. He was the chief architect of New York City’s Central Park. Other projects included the White House grounds and site planning for the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago.

Olmsted was also a major figure in American public life during the second half of the 19th century, playing key roles in the nation’s intellectual, cultural, literary and even military affairs. In 1861, he was charged with overseeing the health and camp sanitation of soldiers of the Union army.