Piedmont Way was conceived in 1865 by Frederick Law Olmsted, America's foremost landscape architect. As the centerpiece of a gracious residential community close beside the College of California, Olmsted envisioned a roadway that would follow the natural contours of the land and be sheltered from sun and wind by "an overarching bowery of foliage." This curvilinear, tree-lined parkway was Olmsted's first residential street design. It has served as the model for similar parkways across the nation.

California Registered Historical Landmark No. 986

Plaque placed by the State Department of Parks and Recreation in cooperation with the Friends of the Frederick Law Olmstead Papers, April 26, 1990