In the Spring of 1907, Olmsted Brothers were invited to the University of Idaho by then President James McLean to provide a new plan for the growing campus. Visiting that summer, John Charles Olmsted created his report for the University in 1908, with sketches to accompany. John Charles called for the acquisition of land from the town of Moscow, including its railroad depot, so that roadways could be reconfigured to lead to campus.
In a 1908 letter to McLean, John Charles wrote that “The university as a whole, both grounds and buildings, without a suggestion of lavishness or over decoration, ought to exhibit clearly, in all its outward appearance, the fact that it is the place of work and of residence of cultivated and careful people,". To complement and frame academic buildings, John Charles recommended a conservative use of trees.
Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service