The Sunken Garden is the central element of the Old Campus at the College of William and Mary

College of William and Mary

The College of William & Mary in Virginia is a public research university located in Williamsburg, Virginia, United States...

. The garden consists of a long stretch of grass, lower than the surrounding area, that runs west from the rear of the Wren Building

Wren Building

The Wren Building is the signature building of the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, USA. Along with the Brafferton and President's House, these buildings form the College's Historic Campus....

 to Crim Dell pond. The area is very popular for students wanting to study outside or play games like Ultimate

Ultimate (sport)

Ultimate is a sport played with a 175 gram flying disc. The object of the game is to score points by passing the disc to a player in the opposing end zone, similar to an end zone in American football or rugby...

. Functionally, it is similar to a university quadrangle

Quadrangle (architecture)

In architecture, a quadrangle is a space or courtyard, usually rectangular in plan, the sides of which are entirely or mainly occupied by parts of a large building. The word is probably most closely associated with college or university campus architecture, but quadrangles may be found in other...

.

The Sunken Garden was first designed by College Architect Charles M. Robinson

Charles M. Robinson

Charles Morrison Robinson , most commonly known as Charles M. Robinson, was an American architect. He worked in Altoona and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania from 1889 to 1906 and in Richmond, Virginia from 1906 until the time of his death in 1932...

, who was working closely with J.A.C. Chandler on the project from 1919 to 1923. The design was reportedly based on the works of Christopher Wren

Christopher Wren

Sir Christopher Wren FRS is one of the most highly acclaimed English architects in history.He used to be accorded responsibility for rebuilding 51 churches in the City of London after the Great Fire in 1666, including his masterpiece, St. Paul's Cathedral, on Ludgate Hill, completed in 1710...

 seen in England, especially his work at Chelsea Hospital. The plan for a sunken garden on the campus was first mentioned in correspondence between J.A.C. Chandler and Charles F. Gillette in October 1923.

The plan to omit the construction of the Sunken Garden as included in building plans drawn by landscape artist Charles F. Gillette was first mentioned in the Board of Visitors minutes on February 12, 1924. The Board of Visitors was concerned that Gillette's landscape plan would call for an expenditure of $25,000 to $30,000.

In 1933, Dr. J.A.C Chandler reported that a Civilian Conservation Corps

Civilian Conservation Corps

The Civilian Conservation Corps was a public work relief program that operated from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men from relief families, ages 18–25. A part of the New Deal of President Franklin D...

camp had been assigned to the College for the purpose of beautifying and improving the grounds. He recommended that the Board again consider the idea of the Sunken Garden. This recommendation was adopted and the President was authorized to employ Gillette to supervise the landscape work. Upon motion duly made and seconded, Gillette's bill for $1,400 for services rendered as architect for the Sunken Garden was approved and ordered to be paid. It was constructed by A.L Phillips Sons between 1935 and 1936.