About Bok Tower Gardens 

In 1922, Ladies Home Journal editor and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Edward William Bok commissioned Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr. to transform a sandhill near Lake Wales, FL, into a garden sanctuary. 

Originally called Mountain Lake Sanctuary and Singing Tower, the designed landscape included a cultivated garden surrounded by natural areas nestled in an agricultural landscape, free from the noise and disruption of development.

Over the next five years, Olmsted and his team diligently planted a mix of native and non-native plants that would thrive in the area’s humid climate and lend a tropical feel to the native sandhill. He also carefully selected plants that would provide a hearty supply of food and shelter for migrating birds and other wildlife. 

The pathways that wind through the historic Olmsted gardens lead to the site’s famous Singing Tower, a 205-foot-tall carillon, and a highly-photographed reflection pool. 

Today, the site, now called Bok Tower Gardens, remains a garden and bird sanctuary. It has expanded from its original 50-acres to nearly 600 acres (including garden and natural lands), and it welcomes thousands of visitors each year. 

For the Olmsted 200 bicentennial celebration in 2022, Bok Tower Gardens partnered with the Olmsted Network (then called the National Association for Olmsted Parks) to host the Inspired by Olmsted: International Carillon Festival. The garden’s carillonneur, Geert D’hollander, was awarded first prize. See his composition here.