Gps Coordinates / 27.9359612,-81.5775182
Bok Tower Gardens Tourism Locations
1151 Tower Blvd, Lake Wales, FL 33853, United States
Estimated to be 295 feet above sea level, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The national significance of the gardens and its tower come from their associations with Edward W. Bok and his team of designers. The adjacent Pinewood Estate is separately listed on the National Register as El Retiro.
Gps Coordinates / 27.936111,-81.577222
By 1925, Bok had decided to replace the bird sanctuary's water tower with a stone water-and-bell tower. He hired architect Milton B. Medary to design "the most beautiful tower in the world".
Bok Tower Gardens is open daily and an admission fee is charged.
Link Location Gps / Gps Link -81.5775765 / Gps Link -81.578669 / Gps Link -81.5774076
Gps Coordinates / 27.9354026,-81.5775765 / 27.934903,-81.578669 / 27.934486,-81.5774076
The 60-bell carillon occupies only the top of the Singing Tower, some of the rest contained large water tanks to irrigate the gardens, with Bok's baronial study at the base. The 15-foot wide moat surrounding the tower's base now serves as a koi pond.
Link Location Gps / Gps Link -81.5779137 / Gps Link -81.577296 / Gps Link -81.578645
Gps Coordinates / 27.9367453,-81.5779137 / 27.93409,-81.577296 / 27.9404617,-81.578645
The Gothic Revival tower was built at the highest elevation of the site, south of a reflecting pool that reflects its full image. The tower is 51 feet square at its base, changing at the height of 150 feet to an octagon, with each of the eight sides 37 feet wide. It is built of pink Etowah marble and gray Creole marble, mined in Tate, Georgia, and coquina stone from St. Augustine, Florida.
Reflecting pool that reflects its full image
Gps Coordinates / 27.935556,-81.577222
The third floor contains (now empty) water tanks, and the fourth floor is a work room. The fifth floor houses the Anton Brees Carillon Library, said to be the largest library of carillon music in the world.
Gps Coordinates / 27.9354639,-81.5775189
The tower's interior is not generally open to the public. The first floor was Edward W. Bok's study, and is now called the Founder's Room. The second floor houses the Chao Research Center Archives, a collection of institutional records related to the tower.
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