The Council of Independent Colleges: Historic Campus Architecture Project

Quad, The

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The Quad (view toward Reid Hall), Manhattanville College

The Quad (view from Reid Hall), Manhattanville College

Institution Name: Manhattanville College
Original/Historic Place Name: Great Lawn, The
Location on Campus:
Date(s) of Construction:

ca. 1887

original construction Olmsted, Frederick Law, Sr.

Designer: Frederick Law Olmsted, Sr.
Type of Place: Landscape site
Style: (Glossary)
Significance: landscape
Narrative: see below
References: see below

Function:

ca. 1887-present (2006)

outdoor space

Narrative:
Originally, Ben Holladay had buffalo running on the Great Lawn. Later, the Reids used it to graze sheep. The terraced areas adjacent to the Castle were formal gardens, and the whole was intended to evoke English country estates.

The landscape of Ophir Farm was designed to be typical of the "model farms" being developed by wealthy gentleman farmers during the Gilded Age. Both Olmsted and Reid were intensely interested in the model farm movement, and many progressive ideas were incorporated into the estate's plans. Nowadays the Quad lawn is used for sunbathing, frisbee tossing, and the occasional class meeting on a sunny spring day.

When the National Register of Historic Places listed Reid Castle, it included 1.5 acres of the adjoining area as an "essential component of this historic designation."

References:

Braisted, Gayl Maxwell. "The Gentleman Farmers of the Gilded Age." M. A. thesis, Manhattanville College, 1993.

Gold, Anne. Ophir Farm and Manhattanville College. Purchase, NY: Manhattanville College, 2005.