The Botanical Gardens in New Orleans City Park was unveiled in 1936 as a part of the massive restructuring and development project of City Park that took place in the 1930s. Although development plans for the new City Park were originally chosen in 1930, it wasn't until the mid-thirties that funding came in the form of government grants for the national WPA movement, a twelve million dollar project that once employed nearly 20,000 workers in New Orleans City Park. Initially constructed to be a rose garden, the Botanical Garden boasted four outdoor garden rooms, an elegant reflecting pool, and the massive Conservatory of the Two Sisters dedicated to housing some of the garden's more delicate plant life.
Design and construction was overseen by three innovators: architect Richard Koch, landscaper William Wierdorn, and sculptor Enrique Alférez. Together, the three artists designed the Gardens in the style of the widely popular "art-deco" era of the 1930s, constructing the clearly defined and elaborate grounds that would come to be New Orleans' first public classical garden. Using a combination of natural landscape, historic architecture, and surreal artwork, the garden was intended to be a place where families from all around New Orleans could enjoy the natural beauty of City Park.
With the end of the economic stagnation of the 1930s and the "war boom" of the 1940s, the WPA program ended and federal funding dried up, leaving the Botanical Garden to largely fend for itself. The period from the 1940s to the early 1980s saw a decline in the quality and cleanliness of the garden. Upkeep was lagging, vandalism was common, and attendance was down; the park had lost the allure that had made it one of the most popular public places in New Orleans.
With the founding of the Friends of City Park, the 1980s brought a new push to improve, renovate, and rebuild the historic rose garden. The garden was fenced, debris that had been dumped was removed, the reflecting pool near the conservatory was lined with roses, a renovation project touched up many disheveled areas, and many areas of the garden were replanted with new flora. Artist Enrique Alférez was located to restore the garden's sculptures, and a number of new pieces of artwork such as The Sundial and the Grass Gates were added. With the renovation and addition of many sections of the newly named Botanical Gardens, the stage was set for a surge in development that would continue until the turn of the 20th century.
The 1990s saw a significant amount of growth for the Botanical Gardens, with a number of projects initiated by donors and friends of the park. The Garden Study Center was renovated in 1992, as were the Palm Court (in 1997) and the Lath House Horticultural Library (in 1998). The gardens also expanded to include nearly three acres to the east of the site. This land would become the Pavilion of the Two Sisters, a semi-circular garden that rests next to the pavilion on the easternmost side of the garden. In 1997, this section became the Azalea and Camellia Garden: a circular walk scattered with a wide variety of these flowers, numerous additions to the garden's collection of sculptures, and a "footprint walk" made of plaques with the names and footprints of some of those involved in the garden's construction.
Source URL: https://nagasakti-android.blogspot.com/2011/10/botanical-gardens-in-new-orleans-city.html
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Design and construction was overseen by three innovators: architect Richard Koch, landscaper William Wierdorn, and sculptor Enrique Alférez. Together, the three artists designed the Gardens in the style of the widely popular "art-deco" era of the 1930s, constructing the clearly defined and elaborate grounds that would come to be New Orleans' first public classical garden. Using a combination of natural landscape, historic architecture, and surreal artwork, the garden was intended to be a place where families from all around New Orleans could enjoy the natural beauty of City Park.
With the end of the economic stagnation of the 1930s and the "war boom" of the 1940s, the WPA program ended and federal funding dried up, leaving the Botanical Garden to largely fend for itself. The period from the 1940s to the early 1980s saw a decline in the quality and cleanliness of the garden. Upkeep was lagging, vandalism was common, and attendance was down; the park had lost the allure that had made it one of the most popular public places in New Orleans.
With the founding of the Friends of City Park, the 1980s brought a new push to improve, renovate, and rebuild the historic rose garden. The garden was fenced, debris that had been dumped was removed, the reflecting pool near the conservatory was lined with roses, a renovation project touched up many disheveled areas, and many areas of the garden were replanted with new flora. Artist Enrique Alférez was located to restore the garden's sculptures, and a number of new pieces of artwork such as The Sundial and the Grass Gates were added. With the renovation and addition of many sections of the newly named Botanical Gardens, the stage was set for a surge in development that would continue until the turn of the 20th century.
The 1990s saw a significant amount of growth for the Botanical Gardens, with a number of projects initiated by donors and friends of the park. The Garden Study Center was renovated in 1992, as were the Palm Court (in 1997) and the Lath House Horticultural Library (in 1998). The gardens also expanded to include nearly three acres to the east of the site. This land would become the Pavilion of the Two Sisters, a semi-circular garden that rests next to the pavilion on the easternmost side of the garden. In 1997, this section became the Azalea and Camellia Garden: a circular walk scattered with a wide variety of these flowers, numerous additions to the garden's collection of sculptures, and a "footprint walk" made of plaques with the names and footprints of some of those involved in the garden's construction.
Source URL: https://nagasakti-android.blogspot.com/2011/10/botanical-gardens-in-new-orleans-city.html
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