Bok Tower Gardens: 'A work of art, not just a collection of interesting plants'

Pandemics. Inflation. Isolation. Crime. War. Social media carping. Conspiracy theories. Stock market volatility. Gun violence. Civil unrest. Loony politicians. Capitol insurrectionists. Climate disasters.

What this country desperately needs is…Bok Tower Gardens. For those seeking a respite from all the news that brings on the blues, there is a place of peace, tranquility, beauty and wonder right in our back yard, and it’s the perfect antidote to the bombardment of negativity that assaults us daily.

A century ago, an overachieving immigrant by the name of Edward Bok, who wintered near Lake Wales, was wandering over Iron Mountain when it occurred to him that he was treading the ideal spot to realize a spectacular vision of his — a monument representing his gratitude to America and honoring the opportunities it afforded him. Among the things his sojourn in America as a highly successful publisher afforded him was the financial means of acquiring the property, erecting a magnificent coquina and marble carillon and employing the country’s premier landscape architect to surround it with lush beauty. Within a decade of his vision, the tower was dedicated and since 1929 has remained a premier destination for those seeking solace in a natural setting enhanced by the ethereal sounds of bells coursing through the air.

Presiding over it today is Charleston native David Price, 62, Bok Tower Gardens’ president. He oversees a budget of $8.2 million and a staff of 78 employees.

Q. What path led you here?

A. As a kid, I just loved nature, camping, art museums and gardens. I thought I wanted to be a scientist, but I realized I was more of an artist. When I graduated in botany, I started working as manager of Magnolia Plantation in South Carolina, moving here in 1987 as director of horticulture, where I found this special place full of gardens and architecture and history and craftsmanship.

Q. When Bok Tower was first established in the 1920s, how much land did it encompass and how much remains?

A. It had been divided up and slated to be sold for housing as part of the Mountain Lake Country Club community. Bok decided to buy some of the lots. Frederick Law Olmsted Jr. was doing the plans for Mountain Lake, laying it out and designing it, so he hired Olmsted to design a sanctuary for birds but also for people.

The original garden was 14 acres when it opened in 1924. It was a place for the students of southern plant and animal life as well as a place of repose for humans. Then he bought other properties so by 1926 it was probably about 20 acres. He saw that plants were really going to thrive here and so he talked to Olmsted about his idea about building a tower.

Over the years, we have slowly been buying property and we have also partnered with Green Horizon Land Trust to acquire more land around us. By the late 40s or 50s, there were probably about 70 acres, and then it grew to about 120 acres in the early 80s. But now we either own or manage close to 700 acres. With conservation easements and land covenants, there are about 1,700 acres currently protected, though some of that could be overturned.

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Q. After 90 years of hurricanes, infestations and natural decay, what portion of Olmsted’s original plan survives?

A. Much of the Olmsted design is still here – the paths, the major trees and pools – but Olmsted understood that he wasn't planning a historic garden, he was planning a dynamic garden. He knew this garden was going to grow and evolve and change.

In the original plans, the garden was a sunny place with pine trees, and now it's evolved into a woodland shaded garden. We have sketches as they were building it, we have a lot of correspondence, we have photographs of the garden as it was as it was being put in. But every 30 years we've had a landscape architect come here and do a report on the status of the garden and how we could maybe improve it, and that’s the path we’ve been trying to take.

Milton Medary was brought in by Bok in 1926 to design the tower. Medary talked to Olmsted and asked how high the trees would be when mature. The tower was designed so that the upper half would be above the treetops. When you get these long-distance views from afar, you know the tower is in scale to the trees. There’s actually a plan that shows the mature canopy of the trees when at the time the trees were just 20 feet tall.

So, to answer the question, there have not been any major changes to the original design, but we are always looking at what we can do to rehabilitate the gardens because what we have here is a work of art, not just a collection of interesting plants.

Q. What has been the impact of COVID on both your operations and attendance?

A. In 2021, we saw attendance go up to the highest it has been in 55 years. That was COVID related, but I think even before that people were looking for a meditative space.

People are just stressed out — stressed out from technology, stressed out from change, stressed out from commercialism, stressed out from global warming, stressed out from political upheaval. And I think people even before the pandemic needed a place that’s been there for a long time and will be there for a long time.

This place has a timeless feeling to it and it’s authentic, so I think we were at the right place at the right time. Edward Bok moved down here in 1921, right after the Spanish flu. Communism was starting to stir up, World War I had just ended, there was a lot of tension in the world. He created the garden as a sanctuary, and we've come full circle.

Q. If the tower had to be rebuilt what would be the cost and would it be possible to find artisans capable of constructing it?

A. It would be really hard to build it again. We know it was about $1 million back in the 1920s. We just got an appraisal done on the tower and the replacement cost was about $51 million and didn't include the artwork and the carvings on it, though does include the instrument.

It would be hard to find the craftsmen but there are still such craftsmen in the world — Notre Dame is a good example. There's a group called Carpenters Without Borders. They’re in Notre Dame hand hewing logs for the roof structure instead of steel, so there are people out there, but trying to get those people together would be difficult.

When the tower was being built, there was a lot of immigration going on after World War I with upheavals in Europe and people were coming to America. This country was in a period of rapid industrialization and we had lots of need for workers, so he was able to bring those people together.

Edward Bok’s tower was a bit old school, designed to reflect the location it was in. It reflected the materials of the Southeast — the pink marble from Georgia and the coquina stones from Florida. All the ornamentation and the carvings represented animals and plants of Florida. This tower was built specifically for this place and would look out of place anywhere else in the world. So from that standpoint it was sort of a throwback to an older time.

Q. How many bells are in the carillon and what are their weights?

A. We have 60 bells with weights ranging from 17 pounds to 11 tons. The top five bells weigh more than the other 55 bells put together.

Q. For years, the gardens’ visitors tended to represent the upper end of the age scale. Was the intention to mitigate this trend with the recent additions of the kitchen garden and children’s play area as well as outdoor jazz concerts?

A. Several things have brought down the age. The children's garden attracts families, and family memberships are probably one of the fastest growing sectors of our membership. But the other things we're doing is giving more experience events, wine tastings for example.

And younger people are coming into the gardens. About a month ago we were wandering the gardens and counted like seven people with blue or purple hair. A lot of young people are really stressed out about the world situation – my son’s a beekeeper because he wants to do something that he feels has a positive impact on the world – and people are interested in growing their own food, interested in growing plants and just establishing a connectedness to nature.

Then there is just a thirst for authenticity – there's so much of the world’s experiences that are artificial. And whether it's artificial real or artificial virtual, people want to experience real things. A lot of young people are discovering meditation and want to get away and just find a quiet place. And this is that quiet place.

Q. After 35 years here, is there a part of the gardens you especially favor?

A. There are different parts, but the base of the tower at sunset is one. Because the hill is so high, when the sun sets it is actually lower than the ground at the base of the tower and shines up underneath the old oak trees. At a certain point, the moss looks like it’s dripping fire and then when the sun sets it almost turns blue and looks like it’s dripping ice.

It goes from fire to ice and that’s magical.

This article originally appeared on The Ledger: For Bok Tower director, the gardens are a dynamic 'work of art'