First Lady Grace Coolidge Dedication Marker at Bok Tower Gardens
Dublin Core
Title
First Lady Grace Coolidge Dedication Marker at Bok Tower Gardens
Alternative Title
First Lady Coolidge Dedication at Bok Tower
Subject
Lake Wales (Fla.)
Tourism--Florida
Description
The dedication marker for a palm tree planted by First Lady Grace Coolidge (1879-1957), the wife of President Calvin Coolidge (1872-1933), on February 1, 1929, at Bok Tower Gardens, located at 1151 Tower Boulevard in Lake Wales, Florida. These images were taken by Russell Moore in 2010.
Edward Bok (1863-1930) retired to the town of Lake Wales, located south of Orlando. Bok set out a plan to establish a natural garden and bird sanctuary where people to visit to quietly enjoy nature. He engaged Frederick Law Olmstead, Jr. (1870-1957) to design the grounds and asked architect Milton Bennett Medary (1874-1929) to design and build a carillon tower. Lee Lawrie (1877-1963), a noted sculptor from New York, designed the elaborate marble sculpture that adorns the tower. Work was completed in 1928 and on February 1, 1929, President Calvin Coolidge dedicated the Sanctuary. Bok died less than a year later in 1930 and was buried at the foot of the tower.
The tower and the carillon housed inside is Bok Tower Gardens' most distinctive feature. The carillon consists of 60 bells, ranging in size from 16 pounds to just under 12 tons. The bells are played like an organ with the keys connected to the clappers of each bell. Bok Tower has had only three regular carillonneurs in its more than 70 years. The Sanctuary's first carillonneur was Anton Brees, serving as the only carillonneur from 1928 until 1967. Milford Myhre has been the resident carillonneur since 1968. William De Turk has been the assistant carillonneur since 1993. De Turk is also the librarian of the Anton Brees Carillon Library, which is reportedly the largest and most comprehensive carillon library in the world.
Edward Bok (1863-1930) retired to the town of Lake Wales, located south of Orlando. Bok set out a plan to establish a natural garden and bird sanctuary where people to visit to quietly enjoy nature. He engaged Frederick Law Olmstead, Jr. (1870-1957) to design the grounds and asked architect Milton Bennett Medary (1874-1929) to design and build a carillon tower. Lee Lawrie (1877-1963), a noted sculptor from New York, designed the elaborate marble sculpture that adorns the tower. Work was completed in 1928 and on February 1, 1929, President Calvin Coolidge dedicated the Sanctuary. Bok died less than a year later in 1930 and was buried at the foot of the tower.
The tower and the carillon housed inside is Bok Tower Gardens' most distinctive feature. The carillon consists of 60 bells, ranging in size from 16 pounds to just under 12 tons. The bells are played like an organ with the keys connected to the clappers of each bell. Bok Tower has had only three regular carillonneurs in its more than 70 years. The Sanctuary's first carillonneur was Anton Brees, serving as the only carillonneur from 1928 until 1967. Milford Myhre has been the resident carillonneur since 1968. William De Turk has been the assistant carillonneur since 1993. De Turk is also the librarian of the Anton Brees Carillon Library, which is reportedly the largest and most comprehensive carillon library in the world.
Creator
Moore, Russell
Source
Original color digital image by Russell Moore, March 7, 2010: Private Collection of Russell Moore.
Date Created
2010-03-07
Is Part Of
Lake Wales Collection, Polk County Collection. RICHES of Central Florida.
Format
image/jpg
Extent
2 MB
Medium
1 color digital image
Language
eng
Type
Still Image
Coverage
Bok Tower Gardens, Lake Wales, Florida
Accrual Method
Donation
Mediator
History Teacher
Geography Teacher
Provenance
Originally created by Russell Moore.
Rights Holder
Copyright to this resource is held by Russell Moore and is provided here by RICHES of Central Florida for educational purposes only.
Contributing Project
Curator
Cepero, Laura
Digital Collection
External Reference
"About Bok Tower Gardens." Bok Tower Gardens. http://boktowergardens.org/.
"Bok Tower Gardens," Floridata, http://www.floridata.com/tracks/GardenGallery/bok/bok1.cfm.
Bok Tower Gardens (Lake Wales, Fla.). Bok Tower Gardens. Lake Wales, Fla: Bok Tower Gardens Foundation, 1981.
Bok Tower Gardens (Lake Wales, Fla.). The Bok Tower Gardens Newsletter. Lake Wales, FL: The Gardens, 1980.
Smith, Margaret. The Edward Bok Legacy: A History of Bok Tower Gardens: The First Fifty Years. Lake Wales, Fla: Bok Tower Gardens Foundation, 2002.
Transcript
THIS PALM WAS PLANTED BY MS. CALVIN COOLIDGE
FEBRUARY THE FIRST 1929
FEBRUARY THE FIRST 1929
Collection
Citation
Moore, Russell, “First Lady Grace Coolidge Dedication Marker at Bok Tower Gardens,” RICHES, accessed December 26, 2024, https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka/items/show/5073.