The Ohio State University Chadwick Arboretum & Learning Gardens was established on July 11, 1980 and named to honor Dr. Lewis C. Chadwick, a respected faculty member in Horticulture from 1929 until his retirement in 1967. At that time, the arboretum included several acres of gardens along Lane Avenue, a main thoroughfare of Ohio State's Columbus campus. With the addition of a 3.5 acre lake and surrounding land in 1989, the Richard and Annette Bloch Cancer Survivors' Plaza in 1995 and additional acreage in front of Howlett Hall - home to Chadwick's headquarters - and the current construction of a 12,000 square foot green roof, Chadwick has grown to a green reserve of 60 acres within the 1,600 acre Ohio State campus which is mostly in an urban setting.

Chadwick's mission is to honor Ohio State's land-grant tradition by using plants for education and enjoyment. Currently there are over 3,000 trees and woody plants in Chadwick's collection representing 135 genera, nearly 400 separate species and hybrids and close to 350 cultivars. The collection includes one State Champion tree, a Greek fir (Abies cephalonica). The arboretum is also a peaceful place for respite and features a Chartres-style labyrinth as a place for meditation and reflection.