What) In 1922,
Edward William Bok purchased a large tract of scrub and pine
land on Iron Mountain, a 298' high prominence located near
Lake Wales, Florida. Admonished by his grandmother to
"Make you the world a bit better or more beautiful because you
have lived in it," Bok now had the time and resources to do
both. It was his desire to create nothing less than an
American Taj Mahal.
Bok commissioned fellow Philadelphian, architect Milton B. Medary, to design and build a majestic carillon tower. The result, now known as Bok's Singing Tower, is a stunning work of art and architecture. The Bok Tower Carillon has 57 bells that are tuned into 48 tones giving it a 4-octave range. The cast bronze bells were made in England in 1928. The largest bell weighs 11 tons and is 8.5 feet wide at its base. The smallest (the highest note) weighs 17 pounds and is only 7 inches wide.
The
meandering garden is one of the greatest achievements of famed
landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted Jr. The acres of
ferns, palms, oaks and pines create a year-round backdrop of
1,000 shades of green for the seasonal bursts of azaleas,
camellias and magnolia blooms that form an ever-changing work
of art. (1)
Where) 1151
Tower Boulevard Open daily from 8am -
6pm Daily bell concerts are at 1 &
3pm Adults: $10.
You might be listening as the tower's bells play "Jesu, Joy of Man's desiring" by Milford Myhre. (2) Click here if you can't hear anything.
Why) Back
in 2004, I did an art project that
incorporated over 100 interesting events that had happened on
February 1st over the last 80 years. For example, “On
February 1, 1929, President Calvin Coolidge dedicated the
Sanctuary in Lake Wales, Florida that Bok had made as a gift
for visitation by the American people in gratitude for the
opportunity they had given him.” Every since I wrote
that sentence and saw pictures of the tower I have wanted to
go there someday. 
