While Bok Tower Garden features a variety of experiences, the Singing Tower is what drove and enabled this impact in a profound manner. Referred to as America’s Taj Mahal, this incredible landmark showcases how a monument can compel interest and activity in ways that resonate across space and time.
Creating “America’s Taj Mahal”
Born in the Netherlands in 1863, Edward Bok came to the United States as a child and would become a Pulitzer Prize-winning author, pacifist and magazine publisher. After falling in love with the area near Lake Wales Ridge in 1921, he purchased 25 acres to create a bird sanctuary on the ridge’s highest hill. In 1925, he decided to replace this bird sanctuary’s water tower with a stone water-and-bell tower. This structure would become known as the Singing Tower and referred to as “America’s Taj Mahal” for multiple reasons.
Architect Milton B. Medary was hired to create the tower, which adapts a traditional Gothic design and incorporates the unique elements that represent Florida’s nature. Completed in 1929, the 205-foot tower is surrounded by a moat and adorned with a gold embellished door and various other sculptural elements. It houses a 60-bell carillon, which is a series of musical bells which are played together as a single musical instrument. They ae just the most notable of the many features of the Singing Tower though.
The gold doors are the work of Samuel Yellin. These doors depict scenes from the Book of Genesis, starting with the creation of light and ending with Adam and Eve being ousted from the Garden of Eden. The sundial on the south side of the Tower was set in place in 1928. The hours are marked by the 12 signs of the zodiac. Sculptor Leo O. Lawrie’s series of Singing Tower sculptures represent themes of nature, humanity, the Bible and philosophy. Insights and recreations of many of these features are showcased in the Bok Tower Garden Visitor’s Center, creating another means of revenue and engagement for stakeholders.
All of these features combine to make the Singing Tower one of the most significant monuments in the United States. Bok Tower Gardens is a National Historic Landmark but the iconic nature of the Singing Tower has enabled it to become a true attraction that appeals to audiences from across the world.
Monuments That Define a Legacy
The incredible scope and artistry associated with the Singing Tower is on a scale that few projects can match. However, the impact that it has made in terms of establishing a legacy that physically and conceptually defines the region highlights what’s possible when it comes to making an impact in the hearts and minds of audiences across the eras.
