"Lawrie’s series of Tower sculptures represent themes of nature, humanity, the Bible and philosophy. The sculptural details are mostly comprised of American birds and plants, along with depictions of a man sowing a garden, a man feeding cranes, Adam and Eve and the serpent. Upper balconies feature carved eagles with folded wings, and the panels depict doves carrying laurel or oak branches as symbols of peace, goodwill and strength. Besides various flowers and trees, there are cranes, herons, eagles, seahorses, jellyfish, fin fish, peacocks, pelicans, flamingos, geese, swans, fox, storks, tortoise, hares and baboons." (from (
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"The tower was designed to house the carillon and was never intended for public access. The exterior, therefore, serves as a decorative public art exhibit of Florida's flora and fauna, the elaborate sculpture designed by Lee Lawrie. The detailed work was carried out by 26 expert carvers working over a year (Bok 1929b:12). Bok describes the exterior in America's Taj Mahal: "Just as the sculptural work of the European singing towers is reminiscent of the history of the country and its local legends, so is the sculptural work of the Mountain Lake Singing Tower suggestive of Florida and its neighboring life and legend" (Bok 1929a:5)
Just above the gray marble base, large pierced marble window grilles depicting a young man feeding birds on the east side and watering plants on the west side, light the first floor Founder's Room. Above this, at 32 feet, lies the first frieze sculpted around the tower, depicting Florida wildlife. Included are pelicans, herons, flamingos, cranes, geese and swans. This level is accessible from the interior by heavy wooden doors painted red centrally located on each side.
At 130 feet, on each of the four sides, is a lancet window with a grille composed of richly colored faience (glazed tile) depicting undersea life, such as fish, seahorses and jellyfish. The lower half opens onto a small three-sided balcony with a solid marble balustrade. Directly above these are large square polychrome faience grilles depicting Adam and Eve and the serpent on the north and south sides and landlife on the east and west sides. The lower portions open onto a balcony, one on each side, with wrought iron balustrades. As one looks up, the colorful faience grilles present the development of life in light, flower and fauna. "Two-thirds of the way to the top, where in European singing towers would be found the gargoyles, it is embellished by the American eagle," four corner finials flanked by doves carrying oak and laurel branches (Bok 1929a:5). This is 150 feet up, where the plan changes to an octagon. Here also start the eight largest grilles, each 35 feet high, which enclose the bell chamber. Depicting cascades of trees and flowers in two different designs, these lancet-shaped grilles have evenly distributed spaces to allow the sound of the carillon to flow freely from the tower in all directions. These faince grilles, four showing herons and smaller birds in a moss-draped deciduous tree and four showing birds and baboons in an evergreen tree, "represent imagination and fancy, or, if you will, art, imagery, and man's aspiration" (Allen 1929:203). The crown of the tower consists of eight sculpted figures of cock and hen herons with their nests and young. These are joined by a sculpted marble screen of palms and roses. The date of completion is inscribed in the east wall, just below the large first level window: "MCMXXVII, M B MEDARY, ARCHITECT." " (from NRHP Bok Tower Application)