masterplan - Bok Tower Gardens

Executive Summary
2011 Master Plan

Our Mission
Th e mission of Bok Tower Gardens
is to share Edward Bok’s gift of a
beautiful and serene garden with
music, architecture and nature, so
that all who visit will be inspired
by his vision: “Make you the world
a bit better or more beautiful
because you have lived in it.”
Our Vision
Th e vision of Bok Tower Gardens
is to off er visitors a unique
experience in a world-class garden
where one can fi nd beauty, peace
and inspiration.
Gardens are dynamic and ever-changing. In the short
term, the seasons with their cyclic nature are predictable
and carry a certain reoccurring expectation; the camellia
bloom peaks and fades to return again each year. But in
the long term, change is linear; trees grow ever bigger
casting more shade, shrubs get overgrown and decline.
Th is change can be subtle and hard to predict as the
garden evolves over time. A garden needs replanting and
rethinking as it evolves. For a public garden long term
change not only occurs in the landscape, but also in the programming and how visitors interact and
interpret the garden.
Every so often it is important in a public garden such as ours to step back and circle around to review
where we started, evaluate where we are now and decide where we want to go. In this way the garden
is kept fresh and relevant.
Besides the physical nature of a garden, it is important to fi nancially sustain a garden’s operation.
We therefore undertook a master planning process in the spring of 2011 to address how best we can
move forward to maintain a vibrant garden while ensuring long-term fi nancial sustainability.
Th e 2011 Master Plan is an outgrowth of the Long Range Fundamental Plan adopted by the Bok
Tower Gardens board of directors in the fall of 2010. Th is plan is the physical representation of
the vision we have for the Gardens over the next 20 to 25 years. Th e plan addresses issues of visitor
accessibility, circulation, interpretation and wayfi nding. Th e plan also outlines ideas for increasing
attendance by broadening our visitor base, revitalizing core areas of the historic garden and the
Tower, and positioning Bok Tower Gardens as a world-class garden. Th e ultimate goal of this plan is
to maintain Edward Bok’s legacy of the Gardens as a gift to the American public.
Th e 2011 Master Plan will not be accomplished all at once. However, as with any long journey it is
essential to have a good map. Please join us as we begin to realize our vision of a world-class garden.
William Burns, Chairman of the Board David Price, President
Bok Tower Gardens Bok Tower Gardens

Th e 2011 Master Plan builds on the existing
strengths of Bok Tower Gardens including its
heritage, landscape beauty, ecosystems, programs
and existing facilities, while setting forth a
framework and vision for expanding the Gardens’
relevance, broadening visitor appeal and ensuring
fi scal sustainability.
Th is Plan refl ects our commitment to the many aspects of
long-term sustainability – social, environmental and economic.
Every element of the Plan allows us to fulfi ll our key mission
and to attract new audiences while better serving long-time
visitors. Th e Plan addresses potential areas for enhanced
horticultural impact, provides a blueprint for new spaces and
facilities that generate income to assist with operating costs
and upkeep, and re-envisions garden spaces for indoor and
outdoor events and programming.
Visit boktowergardens.org
for a full copy of the
2011 Master Plan.
View of the new Florida Garden
and Children’s Garden north of
Visitor Center.

Our Vision
Goals for the
2011 Master Plant Projects:
• Revitalize the Gardens’
Historic Core by restoring the
Tower and the historic gardens
bringing careful and appropriate
enhancements and renovations to
further enrich and better sustain its
heritage landscape.
• Tell the Gardens’ Story by
expanding the site’s off erings with
exciting new garden and exhibit
spaces that more fully convey the
Gardens’ message.
• Steward the Gardens’ Future by
engaging new audiences, including
children and families, with new
gardens, facilities and programs
to inspire the next generations of
visitors.

A unifying feature of the 2011 Master Plan is a well
thought-out Circulation and Orientation System to assist
visitors in fi nding their way through the gardens.
Th e Plan organizes visitor circulation into a series of nested
and interconnected loops that improve accessibility and
fl ow between the Visitor Center, the historic gardens/Tower
and Pinewood Estate, and takes visitors northward to link
new garden spaces and the Pine Ridge Trail. Pathways have
three levels of relative emphasis and varying path materials
to guide visitors through the gardens more intuitively.
New shuttle routes linking the Visitor Center to the historic
gardens and the Tower will open up more of the gardens to
our mobility-impaired visitors.
Within each of our core focus areas are phased projects
that, once completed, will have transformational impact
on our visitors, our earned revenue and our fi nancial
sustainability.
Bok Tower Gardens is committed to sustaining the
Gardens’ legacy by raising endowment funds suffi cient to
provide for the ongoing maintenance and stewardship of
the Gardens, programs and facilities contained in this Plan.

Reitalie the Gardens’ Historic Core
Th e heart and soul of the Gardens dwells within the grounds designed by Frederick Law Olmsted Jr. and the
Tower designed by Milton Medary. Maintaining the historic landscape garden and the Singing Tower involve
investments over time to restore structures and reinvigorate plantings.
Tell the Gardens’ Story
Priorities to be addressed in the fi rst
phase of this Plan include:
• Completing restoration work on the
tile grilles of the Tower;
• Garden enhancements to diversify
plantings, rejuvenate garden
rooms and spaces, augment important
vistas and continue sustainable and
environmentally-friendly gardening
practices.
Bok Tower Gardens is a unique garden with a vibrant sense of place and timelessness. Sharing our history helps
people to understand fully Edward Bok’s legacy and his wish to inspire others “to make the world a bit better
or more beautiful.” Th e Gardens intends to invest in projects to develop fresh interpretation of key themes so
that visitors may appreciate and deepen their connection to the Gardens.
Priorities to be addressed in the fi rst
phase of this Plan include:
• Renovation of the Visitor Center Exhibit Hall with
dynamic and vivid displays;
• Th e new Florida Gardens will celebrate native plants
and link physically and programmatically to the
environmental discovery message of the Children’s
Garden and provide seamless transition to the Pine
Ridge Trail and Preserve;
• Th e great lawn and pine grove area behind the
Visitor Center will be an event space and have new
prominence as the entryway to the Gardens.
Future projects call for enhancements to integrate Pinewood Estate and its gardens more fully into the
Gardens’ story, as well as to make Pinewood Estate functional for rentals and events. Th e Pine Ridge Preserve
will have a sitting shelter and be enhanced with native sandhill plantings.

Stead the Gardens’ Future
Maintaining relevancy and appeal among current and future generations of visitors is essential to the
Gardens’ long-term vitality and sustainability, and the continued fulfi llment of its original vision. Several
of the Plan’s projects have the potential to create new and lasting positive impacts and a broader appeal to
garden visitors.
• A new garden for children to learn through play
will celebrate nature and the importance of plants
to man and animals to engage, educate, delight
and inspire.
• Surfacing the primary paths and re-grading
others to improve wheeled access throughout the
Gardens;
• Improving the wayfi nding that connects points of
interest to improve visitor navigation; and
• Realigning the current shuttle route so that those
with limited mobility are able to see more of the
historic gardens.
Future plans (15 to 20 years) include:
• An Education & Event Center on the site
of the old café (current Olmsted House) to
meet the demand for larger indoor rental
space, while off ering a mid-sized outdoor
performance venue for concerts;
• Investments to the exterior of the Visitor
Center to off er visitors a clearer arrival
experience;
• Protection of our entry road vistas by
preserving citrus groves and creating scenic
buff ers with naturalistic plantings of pines
oaks, grasses and wildfl owers;
• Replacement of our gatehouse to meet
changing land use and security needs; and
• Expansion of the existing Plant Shop to meet
retail demand.

Acknowledgements
The 2011 Master Plan is a flexible framework for giving living form to the Goals
and Action Strategies set forth in the Gardens’ Long Range Fundamental Plan
2011-2015 developed in May of 2010. The Master Plan is an essential complement
to, augmentation of and companion to the Fundamental Plan. The two are
inextricably linked.
The Gardens included a wide range of participants in the creative process of
envisioning its future. The consultant planning team consisted of Tres Fromme of
Studio Outside and David Sacks, RLA who brought extraordinary talent, guidance
and creativity to this process. Staff, volunteers, Garden members, community
leaders, board members and educators all contributed their expertise, perspectives,
ideas and hopes during three interactive workshops and review sessions. A core
planning team guided the process between workshops and presentations.
The Bok Tower Gardens board of directors approved the 2011 Master Plan on
September 13, 2011.
We are indebted to the following for making the vision
for Bok Tower Gardens’ future possible:
Mr. and Mrs. Richard D. Wood, Jr.
Bok Tower Gardens Board of Directors and Staff
Bok Tower Gardens Master Planning Committee
Photographs by Al Barg, Martin Corbin, John Moran, David Price and W.S. Randall.
1151 Tower Boulevard, Lake Wales, FL 33853 - 863.676.1408
www.boktowergardens.org