Bok Tower Gardens - Orlando, Florida

Aug. 20, 2010 - PRLog -- Bok Tower Gardens is the name of a site containing botanical gardens, a carillon tower and few other facilities that are based around the grounds of the Historic Bok Sanctuary.  Located to the north of Lake Wales it is a national landmark that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, although if you are staying at one of Orlando vacation rentals then it isn't a short distance away from it.

The Gardens started wife of Edward W. Bok and his wife Mary Louise Curtis Bok in 1921.  Edward was editor of a popular women's magazine Ladies Home Journal and his wife founded the Curtis Institute of music in Philadelphia.  They were spending winter at Lake Wales Ridge when they decided that they wanted to create a bird sanctuary on the highest hill which measured up to 298 feet above sea level at 91 metres.

Bok Got a landscape architect called Frederick Law Olmsted Jr who had worked on various national parks in the country tom changed the landscape of the sand hill to “a spot of beauty second to none in the country”.  The first year was spent digging trenches and laying pipes for irrigation, after this was done soil was transported to the site and plantings began.  Olmsted planned in planting 1,000 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.

There were several attempts to introduce Flamingos to the sanctuary but these efforts weren't successful.  This was because Flamingos are not native to central Florida and cannot survive winters that are cooler than they are in southern Florida where they can be found in droves.  This is why early renderings of the tower show Flamingos at the reflection pool rather than swans.  The gardens provide a wide range of native wildlife that includes birds, reptiles, and butterflies and the gardens are well known for a large population of squirrels that are comfortable around humans and often can be hand-fed.

The centrepiece of the gardens is The Singing Tower; it was built at the highest elevation of the site and is uniquely placed so you can see a reflection of its full image in the pool.  The tower is surrounded by a 15 foot moat that is a koi pond.  It is built of pink Etowah marble and Gray Creole marble which was mined in Tate, Georgia and Florida native coquina stone which came from Daytona Beach

The construction of the Bok Tower Gardens went for five years and was dedicated by President Calvin Coolidge on February 1, 1929.  When Edward Bok died in 1930 he was buried at the base of the tower.  The tower's construction started in 1927 and was completed in 1929, the tower's interior is not open to the public, and it contains the Anton Brees Carillon Library which is meant to be the largest carillon library in the world.  The bell chamber is actually a playing room that has a clavier or a keyboard that is used for playing the carillon bells.  Recitals are given daily from the 60 bell carillon set

The Garden also has a pine ridge trail, pinewood estate, an exhibit hall and museums that show a Historical perspective on the life of Edward W. Bok and also how the garden came to creation.  The Garden holds various events throughout the year.  These are mainly concerts which can feature folk music, jazz, orchestras and the carillon bells of the tower.  The most popular is the semi annual Concert Under the stars which usually has hundreds of visitors.

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