Lakeside Rose Gardens - Ft Wayne, IN
Posted by: 
DnRseekers
N 41° 05.434 W 085° 07.081
16T E 658065 N 4550516
A beautiful garden and park just east of downtown Ft Wayne
Waymark Code: WMF0JE
Location: Indiana, United States
Date Posted: 08/02/2012
Views: 2
This beautiful garden was established in 1920 and is maintained now by the city of Ft Wayne. Over 1500 roses can be found here. The pictures tell it all but the wonderful smells you will breathe in if your visit occurs while the roses are in bloom. Try to make it then for sure! I was glad I did.
Extra data:
The park was established in 1908 and took on its sunken garden look in 1920. In 2005 the garden received an extensive rehab. All the concrete work was removed and replaced and as best possible set to be as close to the original design as possible. $586,000 was spent on the project.
And for some history from the News Sentinel's Michael Hawfield:
"Lakeside Park was begun in 1908 as an effort to do something useful with the water-filled basins created when huge amounts of earth were removed to build the riverside dikes. In those days, when the area was called The Orchard, new residential developers such as the Fort Wayne Land and Improvement Co. and the Forest Park Co., also wanted to see better use made of those awkward flood ponds.
As a result, these companies gave or sold parcels of land to the Parks Department between 1908 and 1912.
By 1912, the Parks Department managed to make extensive improvements to the area, spending $17,500 to develop the lake's footbridges, extensive floral (not yet rose) gardens, and the sunken garden, with the concrete, pavilion like structures that are the hallmark of the park today. In 1916, a rustic, two-story pavilion was built for the comfort of picnickers, who rapidly grew in number as the park was developed. By 1925, the sheer number of visitors, most of whom came in family cars, began to pose problems for the surrounding neighborhoods."
Garden Name: Lakeside Rose Garden
Location: Part of Lakeside park
Hours:
6a-11p
Fees: free
Website: Not listed
Parking: Not Listed
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Visit Instructions:
To log this waymark, upload a photograph of your favorite rose and tell us why you like it. If nothing is blooming feel free to upload a shot of your favorite garden feature. Also, please let us know what you think of the garden.