The most beautiful college campus in every US state

Once a 2-acre site in Oakland, UC Berkeley‘s college grounds have now grown into a sprawling 178-acre campus.

In 1863, upon acquiring a bigger space, college administrators worked with Frederick Law Olmsted, the architect of New York City’s Central Parkto design a plan for the new campus. By 1890, as enrollment increased, a competition was held to appoint a new architect, and French architect Emile Bénard won first place.

While Bénard presented his formal Beaux-Arts vision for the new campus, he declined to serve as the supervising architect, and John Galen Howard — who finished fourth — was instead chosen to oversee the project.

Beyond its architectural feats, the university has produced many noteworthy figures, including Apple cofounder Steve Wozniak, actor Chris Pine, and “Lizzie McGuire’s” Adam Lamberg.