Will Rogers Gardens

Will Rogers Gardens is a 30-acre (12 ha) park in Oklahoma City located at the corner of 36th Street and Portland Avenue. It is one of the city's historic parks and is open year-round. Will Rogers Gardens features the Charles E. Sparks Rose Garden, a 7-acre (2.8 ha) arboretum and a conservatory with a cacti and succulent collection. It also features display beds of daylilies, iris, azaleas, herbs and peonies.

Gardening and nature related classes for all ages and other events are often held in the Garden Exhibition Building, the main building at Will Rogers Gardens. The Gardens, Conservatory and rooms in the Exhibition center are also available to rent for weddings and other events.

Will Rogers Gardens is part of Will Rogers Park, which features a family aquatics center, the 24-court Oklahoma City Tennis Center, a disk golf course, and one of Oklahoma City's two senior adult recreation centers.

History

Will Rogers Gardens is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Originally one of the four “crown jewels” at the old outer edges of Oklahoma City, the site remains a community garden with historic dedication to horticultural displays and areas of formal design.

1912- City leaders purchased 160 acres (65 ha) of land once used as a dairy farm.[1]
1932- Parks Department Horticulturist Henry Walters began developing the site. Throughout the 1930s, Walters worked with the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) and the Work Projects Administration (WPA).[1]
1936- The Ed Lycan Conservatory, originally built in 1924 at Douglas Park, was moved to Will Rogers Gardens.
1938- Will Rogers Gardens became home to the Oklahoma City Council of Garden Clubs. The Oklahoma Rose Society planted the 2-acre (8,100 m²) rose garden with 3,000 rose bushes.
1940-The rose garden was named the Oklahoma City Municipal Rose Garden and was modernized in 1950.
1963- The Will Rogers Garden Exhibition Center was built.
1986- The Rose Garden was renamed the Charles E. Sparks Rose Garden in honor of a Parks Department supervisor who worked in the rose garden.
1987- Will Rogers Gardens received a large collection of cacti and succulent as a gift from Charles and Mary Polaski.

Ed Lycan Conservatory

The Ed Lycan conservatory was designed by architects Lord and Burnham and was first erected in Douglass Park in 1924. In 1936 the conservatory was moved to Will Rogers Park. The greenhouse was named after Ed Lycan, the first employee for the Oklahoma City Parks Department. He worked for the department from 1912 to 1954, spending much of his time at Will Rogers Gardens

Will Rogers Garden Exhibition Building

The Garden Exhibition Building in Will Rogers Park is home to the Oklahoma City Council of Garden Clubs. The Council was organized in 1921 to promote horticulture, flower gardening and conservation. Classes and other events are often held in the Garden Exhibition Building as well.

Events

The site is host to several flower shows and sales, in addition to a Festival in the Park held on the last Saturday in May. Local garden and horticulture groups use the Exhibition Building to conduct monthly educational meetings that are open to the public.

Education

The site conducts classes and tours by arrangement. Scheduled events include horticulture, drawing and flower arranging classes.

Visitor Information

Will Rogers Gardens and Margaret Annis Boys Arboretum are open to the public with free admission: October 1-March 31 from 8:00am–5:00pm and April 1-September 30 from 8:00am– 8:00pm. The Ed Lycan Conservatory and Plaza is open to the public with free admission Monday through Friday 8:00 am to 5:00 pm. The Garden Exhibition Building is open Monday to Friday 8:00 am to 5:00 pm. Office hours are Monday-Friday 8:00am– 12:00pm and 1:00pm–5:00pm. Reservations and rental information by appointment. The site is located at 3400 NW 36th, OKC, OK 73112

References

"PRESERVATION Spring 2005 vol.1 l no.3 OKLAHOMA NEWS" (PDF).

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.

[okhistory-1] "PRESERVATION Spring 2005 vol.1 l no.3 OKLAHOMA NEWS" (PDF).

National Register of Historic Places in Oklahoma County, Oklahoma
Arcadia	Arcadia Round Barn Arcadia Route 66 Roadbed Edward Richardson Building Tuton's Drugstore
Edmond	American Legion Hut Cartmill Farm House Citizens State Bank Edmond Armory Edmond Ice Company Gower Cemetery Hopewell Baptist Church Kivlehen House Old North The "Y" Chapel of Song
Jones	"Ringing the Wild Horse" Site Charles G. Jones Farmstead
Luther	Booher Site Engels' Dry Goods Store Threatt Filling Station
Midwest City	Quillin Site
Nichols Hills	Frank and Merle Buttram House and Grounds
Nicoma Park	Goodholm House
Oklahoma City	Automobile Alley Avery Building Bourne Dairy Braniff Building Cain's Coffee Building Calvary Baptist Church Capitol-Lincoln Terrace Historic District Carey Place Historic District Central High School Citizens Bank Tower Citizens State Bank Colcord Hotel Cotton-Exchange Building Crown Heights Historic District Czech Hall of Oklahoma City-Lodge Laska Dunbar Elementary School Edgemere Park Historic District Edwards Heights Historic District Edwards Historic District Edwards House Electric Transformer House Elks Lodge Elks Victory Lodge-Ruby's Grill Building Fairchild Winery Farmers Public Market Fidelity National Building Film Exchange Historic District First Christian Church First Christian Church Historic District First Church of Christ, Scientist First National Bank and Trust Company Building Gatewood East Historic District Hales Mansion Harbour-Longmire Building Harding Junior High School Harn House Haywood Building Heierding Building Heritage Hills Historic and Architectural District Hightower Building Journal Record Building Jefferson Park Historic District Jewel Theater J.I. Case Plow Works Building Kaiser's Ice Cream Parlour Kelley Club Kingman-More Building Lake Overholser Bridge Lake Overholser Dam Lincoln Park Bathhouse Lincoln Plaza Historic District Lincoln Terrace East Historic District Littlepage Building Luster House Mager Mortgage Company Building Magnolia Petroleum Building Main Public Library Main Street Arcade Maney Historic District The Mayfair Medical Arts Building Merchants Transfer and Storage Mesta Park Mid-Continent Life Building Mideke Supply Building Milk Bottle Grocery Miller-Jackson Building Miller's Boulevard Historic District Municipal Auditorium Mutual Savings and Loan Association Building North Hudson Historic District Norton-Johnson Buick Company Oklahoma City Discovery Well Oklahoma City Ford Motor Company Assembly Plant Oklahoma City Municipal Building Oklahoma City National Memorial Oklahoma City University Oklahoma County Courthouse Oklahoma County Home for Girls Oklahoma Gas and Electric Company Building Oklahoma Hardware Building Oklahoma Historical Society Building Oklahoma Publishing Company Building Oklahoma State Capitol Old Douglass High School Osler Building Overholser Mansion Paseo Neighborhood Historic District Pilgrim Congregational Church Pioneer Building Plaza Court Point 8 Site Pollock House Post Office, Courthouse, and Federal Office Building Putnam Heights Historic Preservation District Rock Island Plow Building St. Joseph's Cathedral St. Paul's Cathedral Santa Fe Depot Shepherd Historic District Sherman Machine and Iron Works Building Sieber Grocery and Apartment Hotel Sinopoulo House Skirvin Hotel Smith and Kernke Funeral Directors Spanish Village Historic District Spencer No. 2 Site Stanford Furniture Co. Building Stockyards City Historic District Sunshine Cleaners Taft Junior High School Tiffany House Town House Hotel Tradesman's National Bank Building Union Depot United Founders Tower Walcourt Building Weather Service Building Wells Fargo and Company Livery Stable Wesley Hospital Will Rogers Gardens
Spencer	Nagle Site
See also: National Register of Historic Places listings in Oklahoma County, Oklahoma and List of National Historic Landmarks in Oklahoma