The Sunken Gardens was constructed during the winter of 1930-31 in

Lincoln, Nebraska Lincoln is the capital city of the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Lancaster County. The city covers with a population of 292,657 in 2021. It is the second-most populous city in Nebraska and the 73rd-largest in the United Sta ...

. It is the only garden in

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the southwe ...

listed in the National Geographic Guide to Public Gardens ''300 Best Gardens to Visit in the United States and Canada''.

History

Original Construction

Construction of the gardens began in 1930 under the direction of Ernest M. Bair as a project for unemployed men during the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

. The land, which had previously been a neighborhood dumpsite for refuse, was donated by the locally-prominent Frey, Faulkner, and Seacrest families. At the time of its construction, the garden featured numerous rock and stone elements, in keeping with the trend of

rock gardens A rock garden, also known as a rockery and formerly as a rockwork, is a garden, or more often a part of a garden, with a landscaping framework of rocks, stones, and gravel, with planting appropriate to this setting. Usually these are small A ...

at the time. As such, the garden was simply known as the "Rock Garden." Rocks were used to create terraced retaining walls, waterfalls, and water fountains. The project was completed in 1931 and the gardens opened with 416 trees and shrubs planted throughout the one and a half acres of land.

Renovation

In 2003 renovation of the garden began and was completed in 2005. The Lincoln Parks Foundation raised $1.7 million for the renovation and a partial endowment in a "Polishing a Gem" campaign. The Foundation created the "One Flower Forever" and "Paving the Path" programs. The programs allow people to support the gardens on an ongoing basis in honor of friends, loved ones, and special events. The renovation included the addition of two new statues and construction of the Rotary Pavilion attached to the restrooms. The original Rebekah at the Well statue by Ellis Burman was replaced by artist David Young’s “Rebekah at the Well." Dr. Wayne Southwick's statue “Reville” standing in the Healing Garden depicts his wife Ann getting the children out of bed and ready for the day. The Rotary Pavilion includes a dome designed by architect Jeffrey Chadwick. The dome is made of individual laser cut panels representing the four seasons of Lincoln’s skyline.

References

{{Coord, 40, 48, 08, N, 96, 40, 59, W, format=dms, display=title, name=Sunken Gardens, type:landmark_region:US-NE Gardens in Nebraska Geography of Lincoln, Nebraska Protected areas of Lancaster County, Nebraska Tourist attractions in Lincoln, Nebraska