Worcester Business Journal

14 Worcester Business Journal | April 17, 2017 | wbjournal.com F O C U S G R E E N B U S I N E S S Urban oasis Holy Cross' painstaking efforts to maintain a lush campus inside the city landscape pays off with accolades, student interest W orcester is peppered with renowned colleges and universities, but from an aesthetics standpoint, the College of the Holy Cross is the reign- ing crown jewel. With its historic buildings carved into a sloping landscape and panoramic views of the city, Holy Cross was sin- gled out in March by Travel + Leisure magazine, which named the campus the "Most Beautiful in Massachusetts" – no small feat given the roster of quintes- sential New England campuses that call the Bay State home. Holy Cross added the accolade to a list of recent awards recognizing the undergraduate Jesuit school for its grounds. The praise is the result of painstaking efforts to give potential students a strong first impression when touring the school, providing an escape full of lush greenery in an urban environment while still maintaining Holy Cross' his- toric flair. Advantage: Steep hills For the last eight years, Ted Heywood has been the mastermind behind the college's coiffed grounds. As superin- tendent of grounds, Heywood manages a staff of 15 full-time employees, as well as several seasonal and student workers, depending on the time of year. Recognizing the competition, Heywood said being named Travel + Leisure's most beautiful Massachusetts campus is an honor. While mowing and trimming the steep hills is arduous, the slopes are probably the school's greatest visual assets. On flatter campuses, buildings and landscapes are experienced one at a time, Heywood said, but spectators can take it all in on the staggered Holy Cross campus. "The school is a visual display," Heywood said. Blending old and new Dating back to 1843, the College of the Holy Cross spans roughly 170 acres, with about 15 of them wooded. In all of the grounds work, Heywood is con- stantly balancing respect for historic beauty with plans for enhancements, always with an eye on the interplay between architecture and the land. Recent updates include the resodding of Fitton Field in 2016. It was the first time the field was resodded since it was built in 1903, and the project included a new irrigation system, boosting the Holy Cross football program, Heywood said. A rooftop garden was also added to the Dinand Library in 2016, and the college's Hogan Oval, a popular out- door gathering site, was renovated in 2011, replacing a turf walkway area with a new lawn and pedestrian-only walkways. First impressions Heywood believes all this painstaking work sends a simple message to pro- spective students, and their parents. "If we can take care of the flowers BY EMILY MICUCCI Worcester Business Journal Staff Writer Ted Heywood is superintendent of grounds at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester. Heywood said he tries to respect campus history while making enhancements. A campus social center, the Hogan Oval at the College of the Holy Cross, was renovated in 2011 with pedestrian walkways and a new lawn. P H O T O S / H O L Y C R O S S

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