Campus Beautiful

The term "Campus Beautiful" has been used to describe the buildings and landscaping of Eastern as early as 1917.*

The Olmsted Brothers, famous for their work in the National Park System and other city parks throughout the country, planned the landscaping and placement of buildings from 1909 to 1959. A 1925 Olmsted drawing found in the archives shows the existing campus as well as plans for future buildings. The plan also included faculty and student gardens, an orchard and the university farm.

The Weber architectural firm developed a classical revival style for the campus buildings which was used until after World War II. The buildings Weber designed for Eastern include Roark, Sullivan, Cammack, Burnam, Fitzpatrick, Keen Johnson and the Miller, Beckham, McCreary Complex. Weber also did the design for the original library building completed in 1924.

The combination of the beautiful landscaping and architecture was impressive to students coming from rural Kentucky and the "Campus Beautiful" nickname that has survived to the present was created.

*Eastern Kentucky Review, Summer School for Teachers, 1917.