Middlesex School occupies a unique place in the independent school landscape, both in its academic mission and architectural roots. Founded in 1901 by Frederick Winsor Jr., the son of a Civil War surgeon and head of the Massachusetts state hospital, the school’s mission speaks of “finding the promise” in every student with small-school intimacy and big-school opportunity.
The 350-acre campus in Concord, Mass. was designed by John Charles and Frederick L. Olmsted, Jr., who followed in the footsteps of their father, Frederick Law, who is popularly considered to be the father of American landscape architecture. The elder Olmsted’s projects include Central Park in New York, while the sons played an influential role in creating the National Park Service, and they completed numerous high-profile projects including universities, libraries, hospitals and residential neighborhoods.