Singing Tower - Mountain Lake Sanctuary, Lake Wales, FL
Posted by: 
94RedRover
N 27° 56.119 W 081° 34.605
17R E 443258 N 3090170
Bok Tower and the surrounding sanctuary was a gift to the American people by Dutch immigrant, Edward W. Bok, for the successes he had of the American Dream.
Waymark Code: WM5TZ7
Location: Florida, United States
Date Posted: 02/13/2009
Views: 24
"Rising 230 feet from the crest of Iron Mountain is the SINGING TOWER, a memorial to Edward Bok (see above), who is buried in a crypt at the base. Dedicated by President Calvin Coolidge on February 1, 1929, the tower consists of a steel frame enclosed in brick walls 4 feet thick, faced with coquina rock, and gray Creole and pink Etowah marble from Georgia. A lagoon bordered with lillies mirrors the tall hexagonal shaft.
Encircling the lower part of the tower is a frieze picturing pelicans, herons, and the fable of the fox and goose, and the hare and tortoise. The six days of creation as described in Genesis are represented on the north door, which is made of brass. The gates of the moat, the stairway with many fine architectural details, and the hanging lamps have been fashioned in wrought iron and hammered brass. The sundial carved in the south wall indicates the latitude and longitude of Iron Mountain, and the tablet at its base reveals the difference between suna nd clock time for each day in this latitude. Around the dial runs a relief of the figures of the Zodiac and its ancient mythological symbols. Over the windows are grilles of marble, delicately and intricately carved, one representing a man planting a garden, the other a youth feeding cranes and flamingoes from a basket."
--- Florida; a Guide to the Southern-most State, 1939
Bok Tower Sanctuary is a fifty acre plot of land, where reknown writer and editor Edward W. Bok, had a tranquil garden and outstanding bell tower created as a place of repose to admire the beauty of central Florida. It was dedicated to the American people by President Calvin Coolidge on February 1, 1929, and added to the National Registry of Historic Places in 1972.
The most outstanding memorial in the sanctuary is the actual 205 foot tall bell tower, which sits on the exact highest point in peninsular Florida (324 feet) and offers a carillon of 60 bells, played twice daily. The tower, was designed by Milton B. Medary in gothic and art deco style.