Will Rogers Gardens
Encyclopedia
Will Rogers Gardens is a 30 acres (12.1 ha) park in Oklahoma City
located at the corner of 36th Street and Portland Avenue. It is one of the city’s historic parks and is open year-round. Will Rogers
Gardens features the Charles E. Sparks Rose Garden, a 7 acres (2.8 ha) arboretum
and a conservatory with one of the world’s largest collections of cacti
and succulents. It also features display beds of daylilies, iris
, azaleas, herbs and peonies.
Free classes and other events are often held in the Garden Exhibition Building, the main building at Will Rogers Gardens.
Will Rogers Gardens is part of Will Rogers Park, which features a family aquatics center, the 24-court Oklahoma City Tennis Center, a disk golf course, and one of Oklahoma City’s two senior adult recreation centers.
, the site remains a community garden with historic dedication to horticultural displays and areas of formal design.
, flower gardening and conservation. Classes and other events are often held in the Garden Exhibition Building as well.
The conservatory is open with free admission Monday to Friday 8:30 am to 3:30 pm
The Garden Exhibition Building is open Monday to Friday 7 am to 4 pm.
The site is located at 3400 NW 36th, OKC, OK 73112
Oklahoma city
Oklahoma City is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma.Oklahoma City may also refer to:*Oklahoma City metropolitan area*Downtown Oklahoma City*Uptown Oklahoma City*Oklahoma City bombing*Oklahoma City National Memorial...
located at the corner of 36th Street and Portland Avenue. It is one of the city’s historic parks and is open year-round. Will Rogers
Will Rogers
William "Will" Penn Adair Rogers was an American cowboy, comedian, humorist, social commentator, vaudeville performer, film actor, and one of the world's best-known celebrities in the 1920s and 1930s....
Gardens features the Charles E. Sparks Rose Garden, a 7 acres (2.8 ha) arboretum
Arboretum
An arboretum in a narrow sense is a collection of trees only. Related collections include a fruticetum , and a viticetum, a collection of vines. More commonly, today, an arboretum is a botanical garden containing living collections of woody plants intended at least partly for scientific study...
and a conservatory with one of the world’s largest collections of cacti
Cacti
-See also:* RRDtool The underlying software upon which Cacti is built* MRTG The original Multi Router Traffic Grapher from which RRDtool was "extracted".* Munin -External links:******...
and succulents. It also features display beds of daylilies, iris
Iris (plant)
Iris is a genus of 260-300species of flowering plants with showy flowers. It takes its name from the Greek word for a rainbow, referring to the wide variety of flower colors found among the many species...
, azaleas, herbs and peonies.
Free classes and other events are often held in the Garden Exhibition Building, the main building at Will Rogers Gardens.
Will Rogers Gardens is part of Will Rogers Park, which features a family aquatics center, the 24-court Oklahoma City Tennis Center, a disk golf course, and one of Oklahoma City’s two senior adult recreation centers.
History
Will Rogers Gardens is listed on the National Registry of Historic Places. Originally one of the four “crown jewels” at the old outer edges of Oklahoma CityOklahoma city
Oklahoma City is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma.Oklahoma City may also refer to:*Oklahoma City metropolitan area*Downtown Oklahoma City*Uptown Oklahoma City*Oklahoma City bombing*Oklahoma City National Memorial...
, the site remains a community garden with historic dedication to horticultural displays and areas of formal design.
- 1912- City leaders purchased 160 acres (64.7 ha) of land once used as a dairy farm.
- 1932- Parks Department Horticulturist Henry Walters began developing the site. Throughout the 30’s, Walters worked with the Civilian Conservation CorpsCivilian Conservation CorpsThe Civilian Conservation Corps was a public work relief program that operated from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men from relief families, ages 18–25. A part of the New Deal of President Franklin D...
(CCC) and the Work Projects Administration (WPA).
- 1936- The Ed Lycan Conservatory, originally built in 1924 at Douglas Park, was moved to Will Rogers Gardens.
- 1938- Will Rogers Gardens became home to the Oklahoma City Council of Garden Clubs. The Oklahoma Rose Society planted the 2 acres (8,093.7 m²) rose garden with 3,000 rose bushes.
- 1940-The rose garden was named the Oklahoma City Municipal Rose Garden and was modernized in 1950.
- 1963- The Will Rogers Garden Exhibition Center was built.
- 1986- The Rose Garden was renamed the Charles E. Sparks Rose Garden in honor of a Parks Department supervisor who worked in the roseRoseA rose is a woody perennial of the genus Rosa, within the family Rosaceae. There are over 100 species. They form a group of erect shrubs, and climbing or trailing plants, with stems that are often armed with sharp prickles. Flowers are large and showy, in colours ranging from white through yellows...
garden.
- 1987- Will Rogers Gardens received a large collection of cacti and succulent as a gift from Charles and Mary Polaski.
Ed Lycan Conservatory
The Ed Lycan conservatory was designed by architects Lord and Burnham and was first erected in Douglass Park in 1924. In 1936 the conservatory was moved to Will Rogers Park. The greenhouse was named after Ed Lycan, the first employee for the Oklahoma City Parks Department. He worked for the department from 1912 to 1954, spending much of his time at Will Rogers GardensWill Rogers Garden Exhibition Building
The Garden Exhibition Building in Will Rogers Park is home to the Oklahoma City Council of Garden Clubs. The council was organized in 1921 to promote horticultureHorticulture
Horticulture is the industry and science of plant cultivation including the process of preparing soil for the planting of seeds, tubers, or cuttings. Horticulturists work and conduct research in the disciplines of plant propagation and cultivation, crop production, plant breeding and genetic...
, flower gardening and conservation. Classes and other events are often held in the Garden Exhibition Building as well.
Events
The site is host to several flower shows and sales, in addition to a Festival in the Park held at the end of the first full week of June each year. Local garden and horticulture groups use the Exhibition Building to conduct monthly educational meetings that are open to the public.Education
The site conducts free classes and tours by arrangement. Scheduled events include horticulture, drawing and flower arranging classes every month.Volunteerism
Will Rogers Gardens offers several opportunities to volunteer. Many options are available for various services.Visitor Information
The grounds are open with free admission from dawn to dusk year-round.The conservatory is open with free admission Monday to Friday 8:30 am to 3:30 pm
The Garden Exhibition Building is open Monday to Friday 7 am to 4 pm.
The site is located at 3400 NW 36th, OKC, OK 73112