We cannot know, of course, how Edward Bok might have envisioned the Polk County of 2008, but he clearly understood development would come, perhaps even to the gates of his carillon tower atop Iron Mountain. The tower and gardens were always intended as a sanctuary, a tranquil oasis where music, shade, and beauty prevailed over the hectic commercial pace of what were then called “attractions.”
We know this because the very entranceway was designed with an “immersion effect” in mind. The visitor does not simply cross a street or walk through a gate into the gardens, but approaches gradually, here with a straight-on view of the tower on its hilltop, there passing through pine forest or citrus grove, two appealing landscapes each typical of Central Florida – then the tower again, which – surprise! – looms larger with each turn. In essence the visitor has begun to shed the cares of ordinary life, almost layer by layer, even before taking the garden paths or enjoying a concert.
The 298 foot elevation of Iron Mountain may seem risible to those used to the Smokies or the Adirondacks, but it is a colossus for flat Florida and the view from the sanctuary is surprisingly vast. In the immediate forefront are those same groves, woods, and fields that made the tower approach so pleasant; in the farther distance, Lake Pierce, the Ridge, the Kissimmee Valley … The term for this is “viewshed,” like “watershed” a clearly definable domain centered around a high point and one of the sanctuary’s greatest assets.
As we are learning even with our large national parks and historic sites, a preserve cannot always survive in isolation, but instead may become diminished by degradation of the surrounding milieu. We also understand that the private property of others is not easily or fairly impinged upon simply for the sake of aesthetics. So it was that the directors of Bok Tower Gardens, now Historic Bok Sanctuary, made the critical – and costly – decision to purchase at market value such surrounding lands as would help sustain those “immersion” and “viewshed” experiences that contribute so immeasurably to this nationally-recognized historic landmark.
Enter the Florida Communities Trust (FCT), a component of our state’s visionary Preservation 2000 and Florida Forever programs. Most of FCT’s expenditures are for local governments and its administrators like matching funds to be available, but on rare occasions a 100% contribution by FCT is considered and the agency will work with nonprofits as well. Green Horizon Land Trust, assisted greatly by Mountain Lake residents George O’Neil, and Susan Connor, perceived a possible role in helping to protect the Bok Tower approaches and, after one unsuccessful application, became the first team of two nonprofits, Green Horizon Land Trust and Bok Tower Gardens, to secure a fully-funded grant from FCT. And what a grant it was! Up to $6 ½ million dollars for the purchase of selected tracts or for conservation easements that permit the current owners to continue their existing use of the land without development pressures.
The project is now concluded. Due to the skyrocketing cost of prime development land Green Horizon was not able to secure every desirable site, but 260 acres, all strategically located, are now protected forever. Of these, 168 acres are now the fee simple property of Green Horizon. 148 acres are derelict citrus groves which will be cleared and replanted with the historic natural vegetation, most within five years. On the remaining twenty acres, the citrus trees are still healthy and producing, and will be managed not only with the goal of protecting the distinct Central Florida agricultural landscape, but to produce income which will further aid the restoration.
Bok Tower Gardens will oversee the rehabilitation of the new property and the management of the grove. An additional 92 acres of viable grove are protected by easements and the owners will continue to cultivate those. The total contribution from FCT is around $2.7 million, with the balance of the original grant now available for other worthy efforts across our state. It was necessary for Green Horizon to secure an additional ten percent of this amount, which it did and which will be invested and used to manage the new acquisitions.
Edward Bok knew people would flock to Central Florida in great numbers. Could he have predicted how many? Predictions made during the “land boom” of the 1920’s – when Walt Disney was just beginning to animate his mouse character – were quite expansive. In deciding that Iron Mountain, at least, should remain undisturbed, he possessed both the foresight and the checkbook to create an icon for the ages. It could not be duplicated today.
Green Horizon is proud to have played a role in protecting those less obvious but indispensable components – the “immersion” and the “viewshed” – that illuminate the astonishing depth and breadth of Mr. Bok’s vision and gift to America.
