INDIANAPOLIS — Mayor Joe Hogsett recently joined Indy Parks and the Friends of Garfield Park for a groundbreaking ceremony at the Garfield Park Sunken Gardens. The project will focus on renovating the fountains located throughout the Sunken Gardens. For more than a century, visitors have enjoyed these fountains designed by renowned landscape architect George Kessler. The renovation is part of the $5.5 million Lilly Endowment investment in Garfield Park, which also includes funding for a new playground and improvements to the Pagoda.
The Garfield Park Conservatory and Sunken Garden were built in 1916 as a major expansion of the city’s oldest park, first established in 1873. Today, the 10,000 square-foot Conservatory houses tropical plants and waterfalls and hosts several horticultural shows throughout the year. The Sunken Garden is a 3-acre formal garden with fountains that will be the focus of the renovation project.
“The Friends of Garfield Park have always taken a special interest in the fountains, and we are thrilled to have construction startng this summer,” said President of the Friends of Garfield Park Lynda Burrello. “It is our goal to bring the fountains back even better than before because they belong to everyone.”