Bradley Olmsted Garden
The Bradley Olmsted Garden at COMU is a serene outdoor space with winding paths, lush greenery, and a peaceful atmosphere for visitors to enjoy.
The Bradley Olmsted Garden features a diverse array of trees and blooms, including many native to the South. Several of the garden’s original plantings remain alongside new additions that align with its historic design. With something always in bloom, both novices and gardening enthusiasts can appreciate the picturesque landscapes crafted by the Olmsted Brothers firm. Winding nature trails lead visitors to key features from the 1920s garden, including a pool house and grotto.
The Bradley Olmsted Garden was designed for homeowner and noted industrialist W.C. Bradley in the 1920s by the Olmsted Brothers firm of Massachusetts. Frederick Law Olmsted, the famed American landscape architect, founded the firm, and his naturalistic style is evident in this garden once known as Sunset Terrace. Of the 13 residential projects the Olmsted firm worked on in Georgia, including others in Columbus, the Bradley Garden is widely recognized as the most substantial and significant. Bradley had a great interest in the garden, and corresponded frequently with William B. Marquis, the Olmsted firm’s lead Columbus designer. The Bradley Olmsted Garden is part of the Wynn’s Hill–Overlook Historic District, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
In 1947, Bradley’s family donated this nine-acre site, which included the Garden, and a 1912 Mediterranean Revival home built for lawyer Brick Stonewall Miller, to the people of Columbus to be used as a center for culture and education. Today, The Columbus Museum has been expanded from the Bradley home into a stunning 89,000-square-foot facility, which finished its latest renovation in 2024.
The Bradley Olmsted Garden is open during COMU’s operating hours.
