TEMPE, Ariz. - Sun Devils and Tempe residents who have walked the Arizona State University campus will remember the palm trees.
The trees, which makeup the now-iconic "Palm Walk," were said to have been planted back in 1916 under direction from the school's first president, Arthur John Matthews.
Back then, ASU was called Tempe Normal School of Arizona and was an institution heavily focused on teaching and agriculture.
But this week starts an out-with-the-old-and-in-with-the-new rejuvenation project for the famous sidewalk in the middle of campus.
"Palm Walk" is getting a makeover.
The university will replace more than 100 of the aged palm trees with date palm trees in a three-phase project that started Tuesday.
I never took a photo near the famous Palm Walk at ASU 💔 they removed the old palm trees already
— bree (@Brisxyda) July 26, 2016
@asunews @ASU sad ... Those are icons of the campus 😔😒😤
— Old Flour (@OldFlourMill) July 21, 2016
@ASU where the hell are the palm trees on Palm walk
— Mi Tell (@jakearnold16) July 20, 2016
I can't wait to be back with the palm trees. #ASU
— Sarah Krate (@SarahKrate) July 8, 2016
And some even reminisced about the old times.
But as life for the old trees comes to an end, students should rejoice! The university reportedly chose the new trees based on their ability to produce more shade -- which, as many would agree, you can never have enough of in the Valley.
ASU hopes to have the first phase done by the start of fall semester. The other phases are scheduled to start in the summers of 2017 and 2018.
