Bok Tower Gardens
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| Bok Tower and Gardens | |
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| (U.S. National Historic Landmark) | |
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| Location: | Lake Wales, Florida  United States |
| Built/Founded: | 1927-1929 |
| Architect: | Milton B. Medary (tower) Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr. (gardens) |
| Architectural style(s): | Late Gothic Revival |
| Added to NRHP: | August 21, 1972 |
| Reference #: | 72000350 |
| Governing body: | Private |
Bok Tower Gardens (250 acres, 1 square kilometer) are botanical gardens located on the grounds of the Historic Bok Sanctuary, 1151 Tower Boulevard, Lake Wales, Florida, United States and are a National Historic Landmark. The gardens are open daily; an admission fee is charged. Historic Bok Sanctuary is comprised of the gardens, the Singing Tower (with carillon bells), Pinewood Estate, Pine Ridge Trail, and a Visitor Center.
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[edit] Gardens
Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr. designed the meandering garden of Historic Bok Sanctuary. The garden features acres of ferns, palms, oaks, pines, and wetland plants. The garden's plantings also include bunya-bunya trees, camellias, tree ferns, creeping fig, yaupon and dahoon holly, Asiatic jasmine, justicia, crinum and spider lily, monstera, wax myrtle, date and sabal palm, papyrus, philodendron, blue plumbago, and horsetail rush (Juncaceae). It is a refuge for more than 100 bird species: the most prominently featured birds are the swans who tend to stay near the reflection pool.
Although the gardens provide an assortment of native wildlife, birds, reptiles, and butterflies, the gardens are probably best known for the large population of squirrels that visitors can feed.
[edit] Singing Tower
Edward Bok's Singing Tower is sited at the highest elevation south of the reflection pool, allowing the water to reflect the full image. The Singing Tower is the garden's centerpiece. A 60-bell carillon set within a 205-foot tall Art Deco tower designed by architect Milton B. Medary. Construction began on the tower in 1927 and was completed for the gardens' dedication. The tower is 51 feet square at the base, changing form at 150 feet high to an octagon some 37 feet on side, with sculpture designed by Lee Lawrie. It is surrounded by a 15-foot moat which serves as a Koi pond. Although the tower's interior is not open to the public, it contains the Anton Brees Carillon Library, said to be the largest carillon library in the world.
Inside the bell chamber is a playing room that houses a clavier, or keyboard, that is used for playing the carillon bells. Recitals are given daily from the 60-bell carillon set.
[edit] Pinewood Estate
Eight acres of the Sanctuary are part of Pinewood Estate, which features a 20-room Mediterranean Revival mansion. This mansion was built by C. Austin Buck, an early 20th century industrialist, in the early 1930s. The Sanctuary features several events at this mansion throughout the year.
[edit] Pine Ridge Trail
The Pine Ridge Nature Preserve and Trail is an ecosystem typified by an overstory of Longleaf Pine and a dense groundcover of Perennial grasses that includes a 3/4-mile trail, a bog garden, an open glade, and a sandhill forest community.
[edit] History
The gardens began in 1921 when Edward W. Bok, editor of the popular women's magazine Ladies Home Journal, was wintering beside Florida's Lake Wales Ridge and decided to create a bird sanctuary on its highest hill (91 meters, 298 feet above sea level). Bok commissioned noted landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr. to transform what was then an arid sandhill into "a spot of beauty second to none in the country". The first year was spent digging trenches and laying water pipes for irrigation, after which soil was brought by the thousands of loads and plantings began. Olmsted planted some 1000 large live oaks, 10,000 azaleas, 100 sabal palms, 300 magnolias, and 500 gordonias, as well as hundreds of fruit shrubs including blueberry and holly.
Edward W. Bok attempted several times to introduce flamingoes to his sanctuary, which is why early portraits of the tower showed flamingoes on the reflection pool instead of swans. However, his efforts were unsuccessful as the flamingoes were not native to Central Florida and could not survive.
Under construction for over 5 years, the garden was dedicated by President Calvin Coolidge on February 1, 1929.
[edit] Events
Throughout the year, there are numerous events designed to draw vistors to the sanctuary. These events include various concerts featuring folk music, jazz, orchestras, and the carillon bells of the Tower. The most popular is the semi-annual Concert Under the Stars, given in the evening once in the Fall and once in the Spring. The event draws hundreds of visitors to the large field in front of the Tower for an outdoor picnic; and features music from both the symphony orchestra and carillon bells.
