Olmsted Brothers were hired by Tufts University in the 1920s to consult on the growth of the campus. The school had grown from a small liberal arts college to a top-tier research university, housing a significantly larger student population.
Led by Frederick Law Olmsted Jr., he brought to Medford the classic Olmstedian ideals of landscape architecture, spearheading the design of Memorial Steps as well as the surrounding area. Olmsted Jr. recommended unused lots along the hill behind Ballou Hall be preserved for open green space.
Olmsted Jr.’s 1920s plan would shape the campus for the next fifty years. Dorms were grouped around campus greenery, making it feel less like a campus and more like a community. The plan also included a teaching hospital for the medical school., which would later be relocated to Boston. For many years, Olmsted Brothers served as managers of Tufts campus grounds, even hiring the University’s first full-time buildings and grounds employee.
Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service