George Eastman House In 1888, nurserymen George Ellwanger and Patrick Barry endowed the Rochester community with 20 acres of gently rolling hills that are now known as Highland Park. A beautifully landscaped display of shrubs and trees, this was noted as one of the nation's first municipal arboretums. Renowned park designer Frederick Law Olmstead was responsible for final development of Highland Park. Among his other accomplishments was the design of New York City's famous Central Park. The park's lilac collection was started by horticulturist John Dunbar in 1892 with 20 varieties, some of which were descendants of slips of native Balkan Mountain flowers that were carried to the new world by early colonists. Thereafter, they were favored as a symbol of good luck.