UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Old Main lawn is one of the most important outdoor green spaces on the University Park campus. It is part of the original 200 acres of the University and today is a common space for study groups, concerts, political rallies, picnics, recreation and more. In an effort to keep the lawn true to the vision put forth by the University’s earliest planners and developers, restoration needs to be completed.
The southeast corner of the lawn, adjacent to the new Health and Human Development Building and College Avenue, is currently undergoing restoration work, which began July 16 and will continue into the fall and spring semesters as weather permits. Additional work on other areas of the lawn will occur in phases.
Crews are clearing the southeast corner of its thick understory, which includes undesirable and invasive species that are difficult to manage. The goals of the restoration work include opening up views to Old Main from College Avenue, providing more space for desirable species and improving aesthetics in an effort to respect the history and culture of the space.
The original front lawn of Old Main was a farm field planted with crops such as potatoes and corn. In the 1860s and 70s the lawn began to be transformed as tree planting began on campus, including many of the American elms and Norway spruce visible today. Current and previous work on the area around Old Main are part of a master plan that provides a framework and vision for the future of the lawn, particularly with the eventual loss of the elms and the planting of the next generations of trees.