Bok Tower Tour

Bok Tower, Gardens, and Mansion Tour – It has been some time since my last blog update. We are doing absolutely fine, although in a virtual Groundhog Day repeat mode. Get up, eat breakfast, walk two miles, do a few chores, then lunch and dinner. And usually a 4:30 happy hour with our neighbors and good friends, Calvin and Sue while maintaining the legal 10 foot distance. All within our RV park. It is actually getting exceedingly boring. To help combat the boredom, I have written about one of the last outings we took before the proverbial wheels came off.

It was back on March 10th bc, (before Covid), that we drove about an hour to the small town of Lake Wales, Florida. Located in the central part of the state just south of Orlando, the population is 17,000 people. Neither Pat nor I had ever heard of the Bok Tower, but several people had recommended it as a must see.

The tower and gardens are located about halfway between where Calvin and Sue were staying in their RV and our current park (at that time) in Bowling Green Fl. So we decided to meet there one fine spring day for lunch and a tour.

Bok Gardens

We spent most of the afternoon just strolling along the meandering path in the gardens. It is amazing seeing the lush plants and trees all very well landscaped and irrigated. A beautiful walk.

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Here’s a background from wiki: The gardens began in 1921 when a Dutch immigrant, Edward W. Bok, editor of the popular women’s magazine Ladies Home Journal and his wife were spending the winter beside Florida’s Lake Wales Ridge and decided to create a bird sanctuary on its highest hill.

Bok commissioned noted landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted Jr. to transform what then was an arid sandhill into “a spot of beauty second to none in the country”. The first year was spent digging trenches and laying pipes for irrigation, after which soil was brought to the site by thousands of truck loads and plantings began. The Olmsted plan included the planting of 1,000 large live oaks, 10,000 azaleas, 100 sabal palms, 300 magnolias, and 500 gordonias, as well as hundreds of fruit shrubs such as blueberry and holly.

Bok Tower

Bok Tower was built upon Iron Mountain that is about 300 feet above sea level and that is saying something for this state. The 205 foot tall tower, built in 1929, is a National Historic Monument and is on one end of the gardens overlooking the town down below. While it is majestic to gaze upon the coolest part is the 60 bell carillion that is played like an organ on the hour.

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From wiki: The Singing Tower is the centerpiece of the gardens. The tower was built at the highest elevation of the site, south of a reflection pool that allows the water to reflect its full image. A 60-bell carillon set within the 205-foot (62 m) tall, Gothic Revival and Art Deco tower that was designed by architect Milton B. Medary. Construction on the tower began in 1927 and was completed for the dedication of the gardens in 1929, when it was dedicated by President Calvin Coolidge. The tower is 51 feet square at its base, changing form at 150 feet high to an octagon with 37 feet sides that include sculptures designed by Lee Lawrie. The tower is surrounded by a 15-foot moat that serves as a koi pond. It is built of pink Etowah marble and gray Creole marble, mined in Tate, Georgia, and coquina stone from St. Augustine, Florida.

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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.

The Pinewood Estate

This guided tour was given by several older volunteers who were very knowledgeable about the mansion and the people who occupied it. They were very delightful to listen to. You could sense their excitement as we listened to them. More info from wiki:

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Eight acres of the Gardens include the Pinewood Estate, which features a twenty-room Mediterranean Revival mansion. This mansion was built between 1930-1932 by C. Austin Buck, vice-president of Bethlehem Steel Co. in Pennsylvania, as a winter residence. Its original name was “El Retiro”, and it has been restored to its 1930s appearance.

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We have toured through many stately mansions from Maine to Texas and this was one of the most unique with its Mediterranean styling. If you are ever in central Florida be sure to take this great little side trip to see the tower, gardens, and mansion.

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Thanks for following along. Be sure to subscribe for all the updates and stay safe out there. Now, back to our somewhat boring, but blessed existence in Clermont Florida. Take care and God bless.