Hispanic Garden
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The Hispanic Garden is a space on the corner of St. George Street and Hypolita Street owned by the St. Augustine Restoration Foundation Inc. in downtown St. Augustine, Florida.
History
The Hispanic Garden was a plot of land established and developed by the Hispanic Garden Committee, a group composes solely of women. The project was spearheaded by Elizabeth Towers, the only female member of St. Augustine Historical Restoration and Preservation Commission at the time of the Garden's founding. The St. Augustine Historical Restoration and Preservation Commission was a body dedicated to restoring and reconstructing downtown St. Augustine's historic structures in the mid-twentieth century and would later become the Historic St. Augustine Preservation Board. Elizabeth Towers had regularly traveled to Spain and thought a Spanish-style garden in the middle of downtown would be a welcome addition to the Commission's operations. The Commission conducted historical research to decide which flora to include in the garden.[1] To raise money for this endeavor (a total of $45,000 was needed) the Hispanic Garden Committee put on fashion shows and organized art auctions. It also sold jewelry, letter openers, key rings, coins, and little paper bulls from the World's Fair.[2]Jessie Ball duPont, from Jacksonville, donated a large sum to the project.[3]
Lee Schmoll and Drusilla Gjoerloff, Florida's two female landscape architects at the time, were chosen to design the garden.[3]
Dedication ceremonies
The Hispanic Garden Committee sought to have the Hispanic Garden completed by the city's quadricentennial celebrations of 1965. The garden was built purposefully next to the Marin-Hassett House, a reconstruction of a First Spanish Period dwelling built on its original foundations. In the Marin-Hassett House, the Preservation Commission ran a Spanish Exhibition Center. The garden was not officially completed until 1967, but there was a dedication ceremony in 1965. Attendees included Senator Spessard Holland, Secretary of the Interior Stewart Udall, Ambassador Alfonso Merry del Val, Director General Angel Sagaz, and Governor Haydon Burns.[4]
In 1967 upon actual completion, Archbishop Joseph Hurley and St. Augustine Mayor John Bailey attended another dedication ceremony and the archbishop blessed the garden.[5] In 1967, the garden was called the Hispanic Plaza.[6]
Queen Isabella statue
Renowned sculptor Anna Hyatt Huntington donated a bronze sculpture of Queen Isabella to be placed in the center of the garden.[7] Huntington died in 1973 and her studio is now open to the public.[8]
Twenty-first century
Between 2000 and 2003, the bronze statue of Queen Isabella was removed from the Hispanic Garden while an archaeological dig was underway.[9] The dig uncovered American Indian, British, Spanish, and American artifacts.[10] There were talks at this time on building over the garden site.[11] After 2003, a new fence was erected around the garden, addressing previous concerns of vandalism within the space.[10] The city of St. Augustine had not budgeted enough money to complete the upkeep and restoration project of 2003, so the owner of the St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park, David Drysdale, donated money as well. His mother Evelyn had been part of the original Hispanic Garden Committee.[8]
References
- ^ "Historical research". ufdc.ufl.edu. Retrieved 2019-02-25.
- ^ "Hispanic Garden Plans Stress History, Upkeep". The Florida Times-Union. November 24, 1965.
- ^ a b "Looking Back: The Women Who Planted the Hispanic Garden on St. George Street » St. Augustine Social". St. Augustine Social. 2016-03-09. Retrieved 2019-02-25.
- ^ "Dedication Ceremony". ufdc.ufl.edu. Retrieved 2019-02-25.
- ^ "Hispanic garden dedication program". ufdc.ufl.edu. Retrieved 2019-02-26.
- ^ "'Hispanic Plaza' Opening Slated". The Florida Times-Union. February 24, 1967.
- ^ Guinta, Peter (August 19, 2003). "A Royal Return: Queen Isabella statue reinstalled in downtown Hispanic Garden". The St. Augustine Record. Retrieved 25 February 2019.
- ^ a b Guinta, Peter (August 19, 2003). "A Royal Return: Queen Isabella statue re-installed in downtown Hispanic Garen". The St. Augustine Record.
- ^ "Hispanic gardens". ufdc.ufl.edu. Retrieved 2019-02-25.
- ^ a b "Hispanic garden to reopen, but…". ufdc.ufl.edu. Retrieved 2019-02-25.
- ^ "Saving Hispanic gardens ain't like brain surgery". ufdc.ufl.edu. Retrieved 2019-02-25.