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Contents

   



(Top)
 


1 History  





2 Geography  





3 Conservatory and Sunken Gardens  





4 Other Facilities  





5 Memorials  





6 See also  





7 References  





8 External links  














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Coordinates: 39°4355.49N 86°0831.27W / 39.7320806°N 86.1420194°W / 39.7320806; -86.1420194

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Much of the park is rolling fields, due to its location at the confluence of [[Pleasant Run Creek (Indianapolis)|Pleasant Run]] and Bean creeks. Pleasant Run enters the park from the north and flows southwest before existing on the west. Bean Creek enters from the south near Shelby Street and flows northwest until joining Pleasant Run. Seven bridges span the streams within the park; three of them are for pedestrians only. The oldest of these bridges are constructed of limestone.

Much of the park is rolling fields, due to its location at the confluence of [[Pleasant Run Creek (Indianapolis)|Pleasant Run]] and Bean creeks. Pleasant Run enters the park from the north and flows southwest before existing on the west. Bean Creek enters from the south near Shelby Street and flows northwest until joining Pleasant Run. Seven bridges span the streams within the park; three of them are for pedestrians only. The oldest of these bridges are constructed of limestone.



Garfield Park is an integral component of the [[Indianapolis Park and Boulevard System]] designed by George Kessler. Pleasant Run Parkway North Drive passes through the park as it follows the stream from the east side of Indianapolis to the White River. The [[Pleasant Run Trail]] runs north from Garfield Park to Christian Park and [[Irvington Historic District (Indianapolis, Indiana)#Parks|Ellenberger Park]], also following the creek; it enters the park on a boardwalk that passes beneath the Raymond Street bridge over the creek. The trail connects with a number of paths within the park. Between the trail and East Garfield Drive is a large hill used for sledding during the winter.

Garfield Park is an integral component of the [[Indianapolis Park and Boulevard System]] designed by George Kessler. Pleasant Run Parkway North Drive passes through the park as it follows the stream from the east side of Indianapolis to the White River. The [[Pleasant Run Trail]] runs north from Garfield Park to Christian Park and [[Irvington Historic District (Indianapolis, Indiana)#Parks|Ellenberger Park]], also following the creek; it enters the park on a boardwalk that passes beneath the Raymond Street bridge over the creek. The trail connects with a number of paths within the park. Between the trail and South Garfield Drive is a large hill used for sledding during the winter.



A dam located where the two creeks meet at one time created a pond that was used for ice skating during the winter. That dam has since been removed, but remnants of it can be seen near the Pagoda Drive bridge. A 1992 tornado destroyed twenty percent of Garfield Park's trees.{{sfn|Bodenhamer|p=608}}{{sfn|Conn|p=90}}

A dam located where the two creeks meet at one time created a pond that was used for ice skating during the winter. That dam has since been removed, but remnants of it can be seen near the Pagoda Drive bridge. A 1992 tornado destroyed twenty percent of Garfield Park's trees.{{sfn|Bodenhamer|p=608}}{{sfn|Conn|p=90}}


Revision as of 17:34, 10 December 2010

For the conservatory with the same name in Chicago, Illinois, see Garfield Park Conservatory
Garfield Park
Map
TypeCity Park
LocationIndianapolis, Indiana, USA
Coordinates39°43′55.49″N 86°08′31.27″W / 39.7320806°N 86.1420194°W / 39.7320806; -86.1420194
Opened1881 (1881)
Operated byIndy Parks and Recreation
Websitewww.garfieldgardensconservatory.org

Garfield Park is a 128-acre (52 ha) regional city park in Indianapolis, Indiana. Formed in the late 19th century, it is the oldest city park in Indianapolis and is on the National Register of Historic Places. The park is located at the confluenceofPleasant Run and Bean Creeks on the near Southside of Indianapolis. The 10,000-square-foot (930 m2) Conservatory and adjoining Sunken Gardens are located in the eastern portion of the park. The noted landscape architect George Kessler designed the Sunken Gardens along with many of the other features of the park.

History

In 1874 the Jeffersonville Railroad sold 98 acres (40 ha) of right-of-way known as Bradley Woods to a horse track organization. The group's intent was to create a racetrack whose harness racing events and annual fair would compete with the Indiana State Fair. However, the Southern Riding Park proved to be an unsuccessful venture, in part because it was not easily accessible to the residents of the city. The Panic of 1873 caused the acreage to be sold to N. R. Rucker, the Marion County sheriff, who himself sold the area to the city of Indianapolis shortly thereafter in 1874 for $109,500. The city in turn leased the property to the Indiana Trotting Association; that group also failed, so control reverted to the city.[1][2][3]

The city opened what was originally named Southern Park in 1876, the first park owned by the city itself.[3] While University Park and Military Park are older, both are owned by the state of Indiana rather than the city. The park was renamed for President James Garfield soon after his assassination in 1881. Use of the park remained low during its first two decades because of its distance from the city proper and its lack of facilities. The City Council heard and rejected proposals to use the land for a dairy farm (1877), a city cemetery (1882), a factory (1885); and to relocate the Indiana State Fair in exchange for the then-current fair site in Morton Place (1878).[4]

In 1888 the City Council appropriated $10,000 for improvements in the park, including a bridge over Pleasant Run. By 1895 a streetcar line had been extended to the park, allowing easier access. The Board of Park Commissioners was created in 1895 and another $10,000 was appropriated for repairs and to plan and remodel the facilities; in prior years improvements had been made haphazardly.[4]

Major improvements were made almost annually for the next twenty years: a bicycle path in 1901; the Pagoda in 1903; increased greenhouse capacity from 40,000 square feet (3,700 m2) to 200,000 square feet (19,000 m2) in 1904; exhibition cages for bears, monkeys, and small animals in 1905; tennis courts and brick and limestone entrance and corner posts, also in 1905; and two swimming beaches on Bean Creek, one for boys and one for girls, in 1910.[5]

Additional land was acquired for the park starting in 1893. Between 1893 and 1895, a strip of land running from the then-eastern boundary of the park to Shelby street along what is now South Garfield Drive were added. In 1899 several acres in the northwest corner of the park were acquired. The final addition came in 1912 through 1915 when 25 acres (10 ha) were purchased as the result of a bequest from Alfred Burdsal; this area extended south from the 1893/1895 addition to Southern Avenue and includes the site of the Conservatory and Sunken Gardens. The result of these acquisitions was to increase the size of Garfield Park to 128 acres (52 ha).[5]

Geography

Garfield Park is bounded by Raymond Street on the north; South Garfield Drive, East Garfield Drive, and Shelby Street on the east; Southern Avenue on the south; and the Louisville and Indiana Railroad tracks on the west. Emmerich Manual High School lies directly to the west on the other side of the railroad track embankment.

Much of the park is rolling fields, due to its location at the confluence of Pleasant Run and Bean creeks. Pleasant Run enters the park from the north and flows southwest before existing on the west. Bean Creek enters from the south near Shelby Street and flows northwest until joining Pleasant Run. Seven bridges span the streams within the park; three of them are for pedestrians only. The oldest of these bridges are constructed of limestone.

Garfield Park is an integral component of the Indianapolis Park and Boulevard System designed by George Kessler. Pleasant Run Parkway North Drive passes through the park as it follows the stream from the east side of Indianapolis to the White River. The Pleasant Run Trail runs north from Garfield Park to Christian Park and Ellenberger Park, also following the creek; it enters the park on a boardwalk that passes beneath the Raymond Street bridge over the creek. The trail connects with a number of paths within the park. Between the trail and South Garfield Drive is a large hill used for sledding during the winter.

A dam located where the two creeks meet at one time created a pond that was used for ice skating during the winter. That dam has since been removed, but remnants of it can be seen near the Pagoda Drive bridge. A 1992 tornado destroyed twenty percent of Garfield Park's trees.[1][2]

Conservatory and Sunken Gardens

The first Garfield Park Conservatory building was built in 1915. By mid-century its condition had deteriorated and so it was replaced in 1954 with a new structure designed by the Indianapolis architectural firm of Burns and Burns.[6] That building was renovated in 1990 and is the one still in use. The 10,000 square feet (930 m2) Conservatory is constructed of welded-aluminum and glass, and was the first of its kind in the United States.[1] It is located at 2505 Conservatory Drive.

Also in 1954, the Pioneer Family fountain was moved to the Conservatory because of traffic congestion at its original site at the intersection of Virginia Avenue and Prospect and Shelby streets in Fountain Square. It remained at the Conservatory until 1979, when it was returned to Fountain Square.[7] In 2009 it was again temporarily moved to the Conservatory while a new site in Fountain Square is prepared.

The Conservatory 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, along with bonsai trees, and miscellaneous flowering plants. A chief attraction is the indoor 15-foot-tall (4.6 m) granite waterfall.[2] Visitors can guide themselves around the conservatory.

The Sunken Gardens (3 acres (1.2 ha)) were designed by the German-born landscape architect George E. Kessler and dedicated in 1916. They are European-style formal gardens, with three fountains, paved brick walkways, and benches. They are replanted 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. The fountains, the work of F. W. Darlington, are an example of musical fountains with colored lights and synchronized music. Originally, fish ponds existed inside the Gardens, but have since disappeared.

Recent decades have been harder for the Gardens, but a renovation in 1998 and the founding of two different groups, the "Friends of Garfield Park Incorporated" and "Friends of Garfield Park Conservatory" demonstrate renewed interest.[2][8]

Both the Conservatory and Gardens are open seven days a week, during business hours. During the Christmas season the Conservatory has its Annual Holiday Poinsettia Show.[9] 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.[2][8]

Other Facilities

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.[1] Originally it also housed the superintendent's office, a storage room, and, in a lower level, public restrooms. The office and restrooms were later removed. The most recent renovation was in 1995, at which time the structure was made ADA-compliant.[10] A playground and parking are located directly to the south of the Pagoda.

The Community House building, built in 19xx, served as the site of the Children's Museum of Indianapolis for one year in 1926.[11]

There are also facilities of two other governmental units that have been constructed within the park boundaries in more recent years. The Shelby Branch of the Indianapolis-Marion County Public Library is located on the eastern edge of the park at 2502 Shelby Street, directly east of the Conservatory and Sunken Gardens. The 6,400 square feet (590 m2) building opened on November 8, 1965.[12] Station 29 of the Indianapolis Fire Department is located at 602 E. Pleasant Run Parkway, North Drive near the Grove of Remembrance in the northern section of the park; the station was opened on April 17, 1991.[13]

Memorials

Statue of Henry Ware Lawton near the Garfield Park Conservatory

Three memorials are within the grounds of Garfield Park.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Bodenhamer, p. 608.
  • ^ a b c d e Conn, p. 90.
  • ^ a b Taylor 1989, p. 424.
  • ^ a b MasterPlan 1989, p. 2.
  • ^ a b MasterPlan 1989, p. 3.
  • ^ Bodenhamer, p. 365.
  • ^ Bodenhamer, p. 597.
  • ^ a b Garfield Park Conservatory and Sunken Gardens & /garden.html.
  • ^ Anokwa, Afua. Poinsettia show and Christmas activities at Garfield Park Indianapolis Star November 16, 2007
  • ^ Ratio Architects.
  • ^ Bodenhamer, p. 410.
  • ^ About the Library Shelby Branch.
  • ^ Indianapolis Fire Department Station 29.
  • ^ Bird 1991, p. 12.
  • External links

    39°43′55.49″N 86°08′31.27″W / 39.7320806°N 86.1420194°W / 39.7320806; -86.1420194{{#coordinates:}}: cannot have more than one primary tag per page


    [ [:Category:Buildings and structures completed in 1954]] [ [:Category:Botanical gardens in Indiana]] [ [:Category:Parks in Indianapolis, Indiana]] [ [:Category:Urban public parks]]


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    This page was last edited on 10 December 2010, at 17:34 (UTC).

    This version of the page has been revised. Besides normal editing, the reason for revision may have been that this version contains factual inaccuracies, vandalism, or material not compatible with the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.



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