September 2010 - Parks & Recreation - 19

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Building on Olmsted
Dan Jones and 21st Century Parks

n a mid-life crisis, Dan Jones
evolved from realtor to park visionary. Inspired by visions of
the great park designer Frederick Olmsted and the need for
more parks in Louisville, Kentucky, Jones
became chief executive officer of the
nonprofit 21st Century Parks. He has led
in creating the Parklands of Floyds Fork,
including the acquisition of 3,800 acres,
an extraordinarily large package of undeveloped land, for the people of Louisville. " Our goal is within five years it will
be complete and open to the public. We
are beginning to convert from park developer to park operator, " says the Louisville native.
A self described perpetual student,
with a PhD in Western History, Jones has
long been an admirer of Olmsted, who
created a ring of parks and parkways that
remain one of Louisville's most-valued
assets. He recalls frequent trips to " Big
Rock " in the Olmsted-designed Cherokee Park. " The park was just 100 yards
wide and had houses on either side, " But
in the summer, cloaked in dense foliage,
the spot seemed like a nature sanctuary.
" My mother would take me to splash in
the creek and then to climb up on the
rock. Olmsted had the brilliance to create a place to implant a love of nature in
a child's mind, while at the same time, he
was able to shape the city. "
While working as a realtor in Louisville, he and his father David Jones, a philanthropist who was a Humana executive,

Name: Dan Jones
Birthplace: Louisville, Kentucky
Title: Chairman and chief executive

officer, 21st Century Parks, Inc.
Education: B.A., Chinese Language,

Iowa University
Ph.D., American and World
History, Yale University
M.A. in Forestry, Yale University
quote: " It's absolutely essential

that these parks be well-loved
and well-used. "

developed and donated a 110-acre park
to the city. In the process, Dan became
involved in parks discussion at a series
of meetings devoted to the question:
what should our generation be doing to
have the same impact as Olmstead in the
21st century? Jones explains. " I began to
dwell on that question and get out of the
development curve. Ultimately it took
over my life. " He headed to Yale University, with family in tow, to complete his
Master's in forestry in 2004.
Today, after countless public talks and
meetings, and $26 million from local donors and philanthropists, Jones has completed some 70 property transactions that
make up the new park, linked by Floyds
Fork, a stream that flows along Louisville's
eastern edge. The detailed Master Plan includes a range of activities for everyone
from canoe trails and walks in the woods
for the pure nature-lover to a road through
the park for the automobile cruiser. With
a $38 million grant for transportation, The
Parklands of Floyds Fork promises to be
accessible for all.
In the parks community, Jones notes,
there is the environmental wing and
there is the people-centric wing. " We
wanted to both make a significant contribution to the environment and to offer people a range of activities, so that
at the end of the day, someone could get
into the park quickly. It's absolutely essential that these parks be well-loved
and well-used, " Jones says.

-By Lavinia Edmunds

www . N R P A . O R G

SEPTEMBER 2010

Parks & Recreation

September 2010 - Parks & Recreation

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