Where is bok tower?
Bok Tower Gardens is a 250-acre (100 ha) contemplative garden and bird sanctuary located atop Iron Mountain, north of Lake Wales, Florida, United States, created by Edward Bok in the 1920s. Formerly known as the Bok Mountain Lake Sanctuary and Singing Tower, the gardens' attractions include the Singing Tower and its 60-bell carillon, the Bok Exedra, the Pinewood Estate now known as El Retiro, the Pine Ridge Trail, and the Visitor Center.
Bok Tower Gardens is a National Historic Landmark. The 205-foot (62 m) Singing Tower was built upon one of the highest points of peninsular Florida, estimated to be 295 feet (90 m) above sea level, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The national significance of the gardens and its tower come from their associations with Edward W. Bok and his team of designers. The adjacent Pinewood Estate is separately listed on the National Register as El Retiro.
Bok Tower Gardens is open daily and an admission fee is charged.
Edward William Bok, editor of the magazine The Ladies Home Journal, and his wife, Mary Louise Curtis Bok, spent the winter of 1921 in Florida, near Lake Wales Ridge after his retirement. The Boks loved the beauty of the area, and created a 25 acres (10 ha) bird sanctuary on the ridge's highest hill to protect the land from being developed. They commissioned 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. Olmsted's 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. Attempts were made to introduce flamingos to the sanctuary several times, which is why early renderings of the tower show flamingos at the reflection pool rather than swans. Some of the flamingos did not survive winters that were cooler than those of southern Florida and others were killed by animals. The nightingales brought from England did not do well due to the relative cold of central Florida.
The gardens are currently ten times their original size, and feature acres of ferns, palms, oaks, pines, and wetland plants. The plantings also include camellias, tree ferns, creeping fig, yaupon and dahoon holly, Asiatic jasmine, Justicia, crinum and spider lily, monstera, wax myrtle, date and sabal palm, papyrus, philodendron, blue plumbago, and horsetail rush. The site is a refuge for more than a hundred bird species. Wild turkey and groups of sandhill cranes are also often seen wandering the grounds.
By 1925, Bok had decided to replace the bird sanctuary's water tower with a stone water-and-bell tower. He hired architect Milton B. Medary to design "the most beautiful tower in the world". The 60-bell carillon occupies only the top of the Singing Tower, some of the rest contained large water tanks to irrigate the gardens, with Bok's baronial study at the base. The 15-foot (4.6 m)-wide moat surrounding the tower's base now serves as a koi pond.
The Gothic Revival tower was built at the highest elevation of the site, south of a reflecting pool that reflects its full image. The tower is 51 feet (16 m) square at its base, changing at the height of 150 feet (46 m) to an octagon, with each of the eight sides 37 feet (11 m) wide. It is built of pink Etowah marble and gray Creole marble, mined in Tate, Georgia, and coquina stone from St. Augustine, Florida.
Medary assembled a team of top artisans in their fields—the Art Deco architectural sculpture was designed and executed by Lee Lawrie, and depicts Florida flora and fauna; metalworker Samuel Yellin designed and executed the iron interior staircase, the iron gates to the two bridges over the moat, and the Great Brass Door, which features 30 scenes from the Book of Genesis; J. H. Dulles Allen designed and executed the ceramic mosaics, including the eight 35-foot (11 m)-tall grilles at the top of the tower. Horace H. Burrell & Son, of Philadelphia, was contractor for the tower. Construction began in 1927, and was completed two years later. Outgoing President Calvin Coolidge dedicated the tower on February 1, 1929.
The American Institute of Architects awarded Medary its 1929 Gold Medal for his Mountain Lake Sanctuary and Singing Tower. Medary died six months after the tower's dedication.
Edward W. Bok wrote a short book about the tower's planning and construction titled, America's Taj Mahal (1929). Bok died on January 9, 1930, and was interred before the tower's Great Brass Door.
The tower's 60-bell carillon was cast by John Taylor & Co, of Loughborough, England. The bell chamber is on the eighth floor of the tower, and just below it is a playing room that houses the clavier, or keyboard, that controls the bells. The bells are stationary, only the clappers move to sound them. The sixth floor is a studio for the carillonneur. Recitals are given daily.
The tower's interior is not generally open to the public. The first floor was Edward W. Bok's study, and is now called the Founder's Room. The second floor houses the Chao Research Center Archives, a collection of institutional records related to the tower. The third floor contains (now empty) water tanks, and the fourth floor is a work room. The fifth floor houses the Anton Brees Carillon Library, said to be the largest library of carillon music in the world.
In appreciation for Edward W. Bok's extraordinary gift of the gardens and tower to the nation, a group of his neighbors from Mountain Lake, Florida commissioned an exedra, or curving bench, in his honor, in 1930. This was created using the same pink and gray marble as the Singing Tower, and installed north of the tower. One of its bronze plaques reads:
In 2022, Bok Tower Gardens received a matching grant of $500,000 from the Save America's Treasures program. While much of it was for landscaping restoration, a portion was to be used for "restoration and conservation of the Exedra water fountain".
The Pinewood Estate comprises 8 acres (3.2 ha) of the gardens, and features a twenty-room Mediterranean Revival mansion. This was built, 1930-1932, as a winter residence by C. Austin Buck, vice-president of the Bethlehem Steel Company, in Pennsylvania. The mansion's former name was "El Retiro," and it has been restored to its 1930s appearance. The El Retiro name is the one used for the estate as of 2023. Bok Tower Gardens hosts several events at the mansion during the year. The estate was entered into the National Register of Historic Places in December 1985. Guided tours of the mansion are given daily.
The Pine Ridge Nature Preserve and Trail is an ecosystem typified by an over-story of Longleaf Pine, sandhill habitats, and a dense ground cover of perennial grasses that includes a nature trail that begins at the Window by the Pond and extends for three-quarters of a mile ending at the Visitor Center. The trail is located on one of the highest points in peninsular Florida at 298 feet (91 m) above sea level. Long ago the Lake Wales Ridge was a chain of islands. The plants and animals found on the ridge are unique because they evolved on the chain of islands, which is why the most rare plants and animals can be found in this area. The Pine Ridge is home to several endangered animals including the gopher tortoise, eastern indigo snake, gopher frogs, and the Florida mouse. Conservation efforts for the pine trail by Bok Tower Gardens include restoration of native plants, the regulation of invasive species and educating the public.
Originally built in 1997, Bok Tower Gardens' Visitor Center completed a $1.8 million expansion in 2019. The Ting Tsung and Wei Fong Chao Exhibit Hall houses a redesigned exhibition showcasing the landmark's history, architecture, and surrounding wildlife and ecology. The information desk, an informative orientation film, a local art exhibit space, and the administrative offices are located in the Visitor Center. In separate buildings attached to the Visitor Center by covered walkways and a promenade are the Tower & Garden Gift Shop and the Blue Palmetto Café.
The Singing Tower houses collections that document the history and growth of the gardens and its buildings, along with Pinewood Estate. While the collections are closed to the public, selections from the archives are displayed in the Visitor Center.
The Anton Brees Carillon Library was established in 1968 following the death of Anton Brees, the first carillonneur of the Singing Tower. The library is on the fifth floor of the tower. Its holdings are considered to be one of the largest collections of carillon-related materials in the world.
The collection includes more than 1,500 books, 200 scores for keyboard instruments, 3,000 scores and musical compositions for carillon, 1,600 audio and video recordings, and 15 international professional journals that include more than 900 individual volumes. The library also houses vertical files on international carillons, that include newspaper clippings, biographical information and concert programs. The holdings include the original blueprints and plans for the Singing Tower and gardens, and thousands of photographs and slides. Collections include The Guild of Carillonneurs in North America Archives, Ronald Barnes Collection, Anton Brees Collection, Sidney Giles Collection and Arthur Bigelow Collection.
The Chao Research Center Archives holds the official papers of Bok Tower Gardens, along with related collections. It occupies the second floor of the Singing Tower, and was created through a donation from the Ting Tsung and Wei Fong Chao Foundation, in 2008. The papers include architectural and landscape architectural drawings, business papers, correspondence and other documents, all kept in delicate archival storage. Its holdings also include the Nellie Lee Bok Collection, the American Foundation Collection, and the Edward Bok Newspaper Scrapbook Collection.
The Nellie Lee Bok Collection features her personal communications, photographs, manuscript writings, and family possessions. The American Foundation Collection features newspaper scrapbooks, meeting minutes, publications, and other manuscript materials. The Edward Bok Newspaper Scrapbook Collection is made up of 42 bound scrapbooks filled with newspaper clippings about Bok's publications and charitable acts.
Access to the collections of the Chao Research Center Archives is available by appointment only.
The Pinewood Estate Mansion features furniture, ceramics and other objects that were in the house prior to Bok Tower Gardens' purchase of the property in 1970. Other collections held at Pinewood Estate include letters, promotional materials, and manuscripts. Pinewood Estate/El Retiro is open to visitors through most of the year at a small fee.
All of the Education Department's programs and field trips align with the Florida Sunshine State Standards and Polk County Curriculum Maps. The lessons presented in the Education Department's curriculum guide cover academic areas such as science, nature, visual & performance arts, culture and history. The curriculum guide was created to help students explore and discover Bok Tower Gardens before, during and after their trip. Contained in the curriculum guide is detailed information about the gardens, the Singing Tower, the Pinewood Estate and the Visitor Center.
Throughout the year, there are numerous events designed to draw visitors to the gardens. These vary year to year but have included concerts featuring jazz and orchestral music, and the daily playing of the carillon bells. Most popular are the semi-annual evening symphony concerts, given once in the fall and once in the spring. These draw thousands of visitors to the large field in front of the Tower for an outdoor picnic, and feature music from both the orchestra and the carillon.
Bok Tower Gardens is truly a place of historic beauty and serenity. Among the rolling hills of citrus in Lake Wales, Bok Tower Gardens continues to be one of the most remarkable and awe-inspiring attractions in Central Florida.
This breathtaking gem has been enchanting those enjoying a Central Florida vacation for over 80 years because founder Edward W. Bok did not settle for anything less than amazing when he created this masterpiece. Bok immigrated to the United States when he was only six years old from Den Helder, Netherlands.
After striving to lead a successful life, Bok became a Pulitzer-Prize winning author along with completing many other noteworthy achievements. He retreated from Pennsylvania to Lake Wales, Florida during the frigid winter months, and during this time, he fell in love with the sunsets, birds, and hills of this area.
With a vision of creating a beautiful place to inspire others and touch hearts, Edward Bok worked alongside landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted Jr. to produce a Singing Tower, the gardens, reflection pool and more. In 1929, he presented these gifts to America as a way of expressing his gratitude for the many opportunities this country had presented him.
What makes The Gardens so unique is its ability to produce a different experience for people each time they visit Central Florida. No two days at Bok Tower Gardens are the same due to the ever-changing environment and the seasonal blooms for each special plant. From Giant Victoria Water Lilies spreading up to eight feet in diameter, to the stunning Japanese stone peace lantern, Bok Tower Gardens really knows how to steal the show in Central Florida.
One of the most exceptional attributes to Bok Tower Gardens can be found right at its core – a 60-bell, 205-foot Singing Tower Carillon. This majestic Carillon plays 30-minute bell concerts each day at 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. – a brief, but fulfilling bit of your visit that would be a shame to miss.
Insider Tip: Bring some quarters; you’ll want to feed koi fish in the pond around the tower.
El Retiro is open daily for self-guided tours. This 20-room Mediterranean-style mansion is sure to please. And once hunger strikes, the Blue Palmetto Café is only steps away.
The Blue Palmetto Café, located next to the Visitor Center, features delicious salads, soups, sandwiches and wraps, fruit and specialty desserts as well as beer and wines in an indoor or outdoor setting. The cafe is open daily from 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Featuring almost three acres of nature play, Hammock Hollow Children’s Garden teaches conservation and the vital connection between animals, plants, and people. There is beautiful art, cooling water features, vibrant plantings, a boardwalk, a stage for little performers, and music area. Kids have things to climb on, under and through, as well as places to build, dig and create.
Description Bok Tower Gardens is a 250-acre contemplative garden and bird sanctuary located atop Iron Mountain, north of Lake Wales, Florida, United States, created by Edward Bok in the 1920s. Wikipedia
I found out about this place long before I toured Florida, but I knew that seeing it in person would completely change my perception of it. Indeed it did, and my expectations were totally exceeded! But I’ve kept you on your toes too long! Let’s find out what this mysterious Bok Tower is, what to see in the gardens that host it and how to get to the site.
The address of Bok Tower Gardens is 1153 Tower Boulevard, Lake Wales. As anticipated, it is located in an area that is not very interesting or on the beaten tourism trail, at a distance of about 1h 20 minutes travel from both Orlando (north) and Tampa (west), the main cities nearby.
It lies 211 miles from Miami, which can be covered in about 3 and a quarter hours by car. The distance discourages any attempt to visit Bok Tower as a day trip but, as I said, makes it perfect as an intermediate stop in traveling between Miami and the above locations.
Wherever you’re coming from, as soon as you reach the town of Lake Wales you’ll have to take FL-17 N (Burns Ave) to the intersection with Tower Boulevard, the road that goes up the hill where the tower stands. A few hundred feet from the entrance of the road you will find the box office where you can pay for tickets; from there on you will follow a beautiful road through the orange groves that will offer you several panoramic views of the tower in the distance. The large parking lot where you will leave your car will appear pleasantly shaded by charming rows of banyan trees.
Since I only wanted to see the Bok Tower, when I got there I thought I could get by with a half hour. In fact, impressed by the beautiful gardens, I ended up staying a little over an hour and I can consider myself quite satisfied with what I saw, albeit a little hastily. If you have 2 hours, you can visit almost all the attractions at your leisure.
Among the lakes, plains and orange groves of central Florida, on a hill called Iron Mountain (295 feet above sea level, one of the highest points of all Florida!), and set in the middle of a beautiful tropical garden a 203 feet-high tower dominates the horizon, with its bright colors that capture the light and are reflected in a pond: this wonder is Bok Tower. Also known as the Singing Tower, this unusual monument in neo-Gothic style with Art Deco influences was built between 1927 and 1929 and designed by architect Milton B. Medary. The tower and gardens exist thanks to the desire and efforts of the Dutch journalist Edward W. Bok, who had his winter residence in Lake Wales. There are many features that make the tower unique, but the most notable are as follows:
Unfortunately, you won’t be able to see the library or the bells, because the tower cannot be visited inside except on special occasions dedicated to members and donors. On the other hand, every day at 1 and 3 p.m. you can make yourself comfortable at the foot of the tower and watch a carillon concert, given live by “resident” carilloneur Geert D’hollander, the fourth in Bok Tower’s history. If you don’t plan to visit the gardens during those hours, don’t despair: you can listen to a few recorded pieces every half hour, a schedule of which can be found at the Visitor Center.
At the front of the tower there is a quiet shady park with benches where you can rest while observing the surrounding panorama.
The first buildings you’ll encounter are the Visitor Center with adjoining museum, the Blue Palmetto Café and the Shop, all three gathered around a nice, small flowered patio that will immediately give you the idea of the attention to detail reserved for this place.
The Singing Tower is definitely the main reason you’ll come to Bok Tower Gardens, but once you get there, looking around, you’ll realize that the context in which the tower is located is not just a frame for it, but a place of great beauty. All of the areas shown below can be reached via short trails that branch off from the so-called Oval, an oval-shaped crossroads located just past the Visitor Center along the main trail. From the Oval it takes just 8 minutes to reach Bok Tower, and no more than 10-15 minutes to reach each of the garden’s points of interest.
Wander through the placid paths of Bok Tower Gardens for a true nature-contemplation experience: you’ll meet very few people and see a wide variety of plants you’ve never seen before. Following the design of landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted Jr., the gardens were enriched with an impressive number of typical Florida plants, including banyans, oaks, palms, azaleas, gordonias, magnolias, ferns, pines and tropical flowers. Many plants are rare and some, being in real danger of extinction, are subject to preservation programs: you can see some of them in the rotunda called the Endangered Plant Garden.
The gardens are called contemplative garden and bird sanctuary: there are more than 100 species of birds living in the 165 acres of land of the property, a real paradise for birdwatchers. In addition to flora and fauna, it is possible to meet some small monuments along the garden paths, that are well integrated in the context, such as the Peace Lantern: a beautiful Japanese lantern (tōrō – 灯篭), the work of the artist Tsujita, who gave it to Bok in the twenties. It is located behind the tower, in a gap opened in the vegetation.
The quiet atmosphere and enchanting beauty of the gardens suggest a “spiritualistic” approach to nature, and the so-called Window by the Pond should contribute to this. It’s a tiny cabin that offers a glimpse of a swamp through a large window: the signs promise the sighting of some animals, but it takes a lot of patience. The only way is to remain in contemplation of the swamp, as if you were in a chapel.
A bit aside, in the west of the gardens is the Pinewood Estate and its gardens: it is a beautiful residence from the early thirties built in the typical Mediterranean Revival style so common in Florida. Also known as El Retiro, it belonged to C. Austin Buck, and was acquired by the owner of the Gardens in the seventies, followed by a careful restoration, aimed at returning the original appearance of the house for visitors. Today, the 20 rooms of the Pinewood Estate can be visited on a tour by purchasing a separate ticket.
A 2.5 mile path that allows you to see one of the most fragile habitats of Florida, which must be protected and reinvigorated through the setting of fires every 3-5 years: the role of fire is fundamental for the preservation of this type of ecosystem, typical of the savannah and highland wetlands. As you walk here, you’ll see some local wildlife, perennial grasses, and many Pinus palustris (longleaf pine) trees typical of Florida’s wetlands.
An educational trail designed for children, who can get in touch with the local flora and fauna through fun and educational games and experiences: they can run, jump, play with water, climb, learn to walk on nature trails in a respectful way, learn about Seminole culture, play various instruments trying to imitate bird sounds…
As a reminder, the Pinewood Estate can be walked to and viewed from outside with the standard ticket. However, if you would like to add the self-guided tour of the interior of Pinewood Estate, the package prices are:
During peak season, for an additional $5, you can join guided tours of the mansion.
Lake Wales is not only known for the Bok Tower, but also for Spook Hill, a small depression between two gently sloping knolls, located practically on the slopes of Iron Mountain, 10 minutes from the Bok Tower.
Legend has it that an Indian village on the shores of Lake Wales was cornered by a huge alligator. A terrible fight ensued between the beast and the Great Chief of the tribe, which ended with the death of both: the small depression between the two hills was generated by the impacts of the clash. According to the inhabitants, the hill is haunted (we don’t know if by the ghost of the alligator seeking revenge or by the Great Chief who defends the area from his grave). At the exact point where the road descends to the depression, a white line is marked. Go down the hill and align your car with the sign, stop the vehicle and put it in neutral: you will have the impression that your car defies gravity, climbing uphill as if going downhill! To get to Spook Hill follow this simple route: from Burns Ave turn on Old School Ave, then left on 5th S at Dr. JA Wiltshire Ave and then left again on 5th S. Right on this street you will descend to the white line and witness the “miracle”.
This strange phenomenon is not the only one in the world and not even in the USA (see Bishop in the article on the Eastern Sierra). In reality, it is an optical illusion typical of the so-called“gravity hills“, a sort of difformity of perception. As the experts explain, “the “inverse gravity” stretch of road has an actual slope that is opposite to the apparent one, as can be demonstrated using a bubble level or a theodolite. This is an optical illusion, which can occur when a stretch of road with a very gentle slope is placed between two segments in which the slope is much steeper; this situation influences our perception that makes us see the stretch with a gentle slope as a slight descent“.
