The Campus
One of the first things to strike visitors is the natural beauty of the Haverford campus. The tree-lined approach along College Lane allows the campus to reveal itself slowly, with open vistas, gardens, wooded areas, and a 3.5 acre pond.
The Haverford campus is a national arboretum, with more than 400 trees. Our meticulously maintained 216 acres contain a nature trail, a Pinetum, flower gardens, and many scampering black squirrels—our unofficial mascots.
In 1834 renowned English gardener William Carvill was hired to develop a landscape design for Haverford. His plan was informed by the work of English master landscape architect Sir Humphrey Repton, and his design is still evident today in the campus landscape’s quiet beauty. There are more than 1,400 labeled trees on campus, among them the Penn Treaty Elm, a descendant of the American Elm under which William Penn signed his treaty with the Native Americans in 1682. Several of Carvill’s historic trees exist today, along with collections of oaks, beeches, and maples, and three state-champion trees. Behind the Magill Library, a courtyard garden includes as an architectural feature the Carvill Arch, from William Carvill’s original greenhouse. One of the best ways to experience the diversity of plantings and gardens is to walk the 2.25-mile Nature Trail that encircles the campus.
The 70 structures built since our founding demonstrate great architectural diversity while maintaining a simple elegance and openness. The most recent additions are the Marian E. Koshland Integrated Natural Science Center and the 100,000 square-foot Douglas B. Gardner '83 Integrated Athletic Center.