Arthur Asahel Shurclif (1870-1957) graduated with high honors from both Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1894 and Harvard University in 1896. Shortly thereafter, he joined the Olmsted firm to train under the direction of Frederick Law Olmsted. In 1900, Shurcliff aided Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr. in the founding of what was to become the Harvard School of Landscape Architecture, the first such institution in the western hemisphere. In 1905, Shurcliff established his own business and hired several technical assistants. His son, Sidney Nichols Shurcliff (born in 1906) joined the firm in 1930 and became head of the business in 1950. Other partners were Vincent N. Merrill and Douglas B. Footit. The firm, which became widely known and in great demand by both private and public clients throughout New England and New York, designed the grounds of estates, hospitals, and private schools and colleges as well as parks, parkways, cemeteries, and subdivisions. Mount Holyoke College and Amherst College were major clients; other clients included the Boston Park Department and the Metropolitan Parks Commission.
From the guide to the Shurcliff, Merrill and Footit Records MS 0662., 1933-1975, (Mount Holyoke College Archives and Special Collections)
