The Plaza of the Americas is a major center of student activity on the campus of the

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preem ...

in Gainesville,

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

. It is located in the quad between

Library West Library West is the major library of the University of Florida, University of Florida's George A. Smathers Libraries system. Its collections consist of material on the humanities and social sciences, as well as African studies and Asian studies re ...

, Peabody Hall, the

University Auditorium University Auditorium is a name used by multiple universities for auditorium spaces. It may refer to: * Chulalongkorn University Auditorium * Eisenhower Auditorium, originally named University Auditorium * Indiana University Auditorium *University A ...

, and the Chemistry Building. In 2008, the Plaza of the Americas became a

contributing property In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing property or contributing resource is any building, object, or structure which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic dist ...

in the

University of Florida Campus Historic District The University of Florida Campus Historic District is a Historic districts in the United States, historic district on the campus of the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida. The district, bounded by Florida State Road 26, West Univers ...

, which had been added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

on April 20, 1989.

History

In 1925, landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted Jr. developed the plans to improve the plaza. In 1931, the space was officially designated the Plaza of the Americas at the first meeting of the Institute of Inter-American Affairs. The students planted 21 trees around the plaza. They dedicated the newly planted trees to the 21 countries that were invited to the meeting. Today, the quad is the unofficial forum for the

where students and organizations present their ideals. A $2.2 million renovation of the Plaza of the Americas, which included additional landscaping, benches, and sidewalks, was begun in November 2016. The project was completed a year later, and a dedication ceremony for the renovated plaza was held on November 17, 2017.

References

External links

* from the

Physical Plant Division
Additional info about the Plaza
from the University of Florida Interactive Media Lab
''Alligator'' does story on the Plaza
from alligator.org * 1925 establishments in Florida Buildings at the University of Florida Historic American Landscapes Survey in Florida Historic district contributing properties in Florida National Register of Historic Places in Gainesville, Florida Parks in Alachua County, Florida Tourist attractions in Gainesville, Florida University and college buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Florida University and college buildings completed in 1925

History

See also

References

External links