Garfield Park Conservatory and Sunken Gardens

:"For the conservatory with the same name in Chicago, Illinois, see Garfield Park Conservatory" The Garfield Park Conservatory and Sunken Gardens are a convert|10000|sqft|m2|sing=on conservatory and outdoor gardens (3 acres) located at 2450 Shelby Street, Indianapolis, Indiana. Both the Conservatory and Gardens are open seven days a week, during business hours. The grounds are rolling fields, with limestone bridges.

Formed in the late 1800s, it is the oldest park in Indianapolis. In 1874 the Jeffersonville Railroad sold 98 acres of right-of-way to horse track organization, which created the Southern Riding Park. However, the Southern Riding Park would prove to be an unsuccessful venture. It is on the National Register of Historic Places. It would then be sold to N. R. Rucker, a local sheriff, who himself sold the area to the city of Indianapolis for over $109,000. [Bodenhamer, David. "The Encyclopedia of Indianapolis" p.608] [Conn, Earl L. "My Indiana:101 Places to See"(Indiana Historical Society Press, 2006). pg.90 ]

The Garfield Park Conservatory was founded in 1881 and was named for President James Garfield, who had just been assassinated. It was originally called Southern Park. Additional land acquisitions in the early 1900s increased the land total of Garfield Park to convert|128|acre|km2. Many believe the statue overlooking the park is of James Garfield, but it is actually of Major General Henry W. Lawton, who died in the Philippines during the Spanish-American War. It was placed in the Garfield Park Conservatory and Sunken Gardens in 1915, being moved from its original location at the old Marion County Courthouse. [Bodenhamer 608] [Conn 90]

Of the two, the Garfield Park Conservatory draws the most visitors. The first Garfield Park Conservatory was built in 1915, with a replacement built thirty-nine years later in 1954. The 1954 Conservatory was renovated in 1990 and is the one still in use. The convert|10000|sqft|m2 Conservatory is made of welded-aluminum and glass, and was the first of its kind in the United States. [Bodenhamer 608] Visitors can guide themselves around the conservatory, whose chief attraction is its indoor fifteen-foot tall granite waterfall. [Conn 90] During the Christmas season the Garfield park Conservatory has its Annual Holiday Poinsettia Show. [Anokwa, Afua. Poinsettia show and Christmas activities at Garfield Park "Indianapolis Star" November 16, 2007]

The Garfield Park Conservatory and Sunken Gardens features tree frogs, free-flying birds and tropical plants, including an Amazon River rainforest, a large collection of bromeliads, orchids, and other epiphytes planted in a natural setting, the aforementioned convert|15|ft|m|sing=on waterfall, bonsai trees, and miscellaneous flowering plants.

The Sunken Gardens were dedicated in 1916. The Sunken gardens were designed by the German-born landscape architect George E. Kessler. They are European-style formal gardens, with three fountains, paved brick walkways, and benches. They are replanted with three times a year with seasonal displays, taking advantage of the tulips of spring, the annuals of summer, and the mums of autumn. Its fountains and floral displays have held high-regard throughout the American Midwest since their 1916 dedication. Originally, fish ponds existed inside the Gardens, but have since disappeared. Recent decades have been harder for the Gardens, but a rededication in 1998 and the founding of two different groups, the "Friends of Garfield Park Incorporated" and "Friends of Garfield Park Conservatory". [ [http://www.garfieldgardensconservatory.org/garden.html Garfield Park Sunken Garden ] ] [Conn 90]

In the summer, the Sunken gardens features concerts, collectively know as "Music in the Garden". The grounds are available for weddings, but not for other private events. [Conn 90] [ [http://www.garfieldgardensconservatory.org/garden.html Garfield Park Sunken Garden ] ] [Conn 90]

Also of note is Garfield Park's Pagoda. A curved copper roof covers the otherwise-open wrought iron, rock, and concrete structure. Built in 1903, it was intended to take advantage of the then-popular fad of opera. [Bodenhamer 608]

Three memorials are within the grounds of Garfield Park Conservatory and Sunken Gardens. One is a granite shaft dedicated to the 1,616 Confederate victims of the Camp Morton prison camp. The "Grove of Remembrance" remembers the fallen soldiers from Indianapolis in World War I, with a tree planted for each individual soldier, 387 in total. The third was for Major General Henry Lawton of Fort Wayne, who fought in the American Civil War and who later captured Geronimo. [Bodenhamer 608]

A 1992 tornado destroyed twenty percent of Garfield Park's trees. [Bodenhamer 608]

See also

* Eagle Creek Park
* Garfield Park Conservatory (Chicago, Illinois)
* List of botanical gardens in the United States

References

External links

* [http://www.garfieldgardensconservatory.org Official Site]