The Central Quad - Olive Trees Since 1968

A stop on Canada College Campus Walk, a free self-guided tour.

Walk down into the lawns and paths between Building 9 and Building 13 and take a look at the trees. Many of the campus walkways are lined with olive trees, and the college says they were kept when the campus was built in 1968. A 2014 local news report counted about 350 olive trees on campus and noted that the site was once known as the olive orchard.

The trees gave their name to a community celebration, the Arts and Olive Festival, which the campus has hosted in the fall with local artists, music and all things olive.

Notice how the buildings step down the slope, linked by outdoor walkways and plazas suited to a mild climate. Building 13, beside the quad, is home to the Business, Design and Workforce Division, and it has been undergoing modernization, so parts may be fenced off.

On a sunny afternoon this is where students eat lunch, meet study groups and walk between classes. Pick one olive tree and look closely at its twisted gray trunk.

Getting here: From Building 23, walk back down the main path past Building 17 to the lawns between Building 9 and Building 13.

Did you know?: This campus was known years ago as the olive orchard, and a 2014 count found about 350 olive trees growing here.

Photo op: Crouch low beneath an olive tree and frame its silvery leaves against one of the 1968 buildings.

More on Wikipedia: Canada College · Olea europaea

The Central Quad - Olive Trees Since 1968

Stops on this tour