Chadwick Arboretum lake, 1994

What makes a college campus attractive? One of the key elements is its gardens, and OSU is no exception. The campus has had gardens dating back to the early 1880s, but they’ve never been just for show. The 1883 annual report to the Board of Trustees from the Department of Horticulture reported that:

“Owing to our long continued summer drouth (sic) the plants did not look as well as usual. [However,] By the completion of the Green-house … we will not only add to the attractiveness of the University, but also furnish a valuable means of illustration for the students of this department.”

For many years, the Horticultural Gardens were located behind Townshend Hall, just a stone’s throw from the Ohio Stadium. In April 1980, the Department proposed to establish the Chadwick Arboretum north of the Agriculture Administration building.  The Board of Trustees approved the proposal in July of that year, and a dedication ceremony was held in May 1981. At the time, the Arboretum included several acres of gardens along Lane Avenue, near the Agriculture Administration Building. In 1989 a lake was added, and in 1990, its first director was hired. The arboretum was then expanded to 36 acres, surrounding the OSU sports parks on the west side of the river. In 1995, The Richard and Annette Bloch Cancer Survivors Plaza was added to the Arboretum grounds on the northeast side of Olentangy River Road.

Lewis Chadwick, 1987

The Arboretum was named after Dr. Lewis C. Chadwick, an internationally acclaimed horticulturist, who worked extensively with OSU campus planners in selecting appropriate plants for various campus areas. He was employed for 38 years in Department of Horticulture, retiring in 1967. He kept up his University ties, continuing to work on projects—including the arboretum that now carries his name. Throughout his career at the University, Chadwick attempted to collect or produce landscape plants from around the world, as well as planting many trees across campus. He died in 1993 at the age of 91.

 

 

Filed by C.N.