UConn’s great lawn celebrated, rededicated

UConn’s Student Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects hosted a celebration and rededication of UConn’s Great Lawn on Wednesday in Wilbur Cross.

UConn President Susan Herbst gave opening remarks commending the society and emphasizing the importance of the landscape, and the Great Lawn in particular, to the University.

Herbst said, “The University will outlive all of us…[We are only the temporary caretakers]” Herbst stressed that the Campus is a pride to the University, and that when discussing design, it is important to remember that it is not about the here and now, but rather the legacy.

Rudy Favretti, fellow of the American Society of Landscape Architects and former UConn professor, gave a brief history of the Great Lawn and its growth throughout the years and thoughts to what its future will bring.

The Great Lawn is composed of 50 acres of open green space that can be considered the signature of the UConn Storrs campus. It also contains many of the origional trees planted as part of the campus’ arboretum which now extends throughout the campus. Favretti points out that of the Co-op’s eleven post cards, nine of them feature the Great Lawn.

Other speakers were landscape architecture professors Mark Westa and Kristen Schwab, campus landscape architect Eileen McHugh, and ASLA UConn president Andrea Fossa.

The event also featured the donation of three Dakota Pinnacle birch trees by the Student Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects. The trees were planted earlier that day on the edge of the Great Lawn by Beech Hall.

Students interested in the landscape architecture program at UConn can visit the department offices on the second floor of Arjona and view the event at CT-N.com.