Bok Tower Gardens (a National Historic Landmark originally designed by Frederick Law Olmstead Jr.) conducted its largest expansion in 90 years over a 40+/- acres area. The EOR’s engineering work included the Childrens’ Garden, Wild Garden, Outdoor Kitchen, Oval Lawn, Visitors Center Entrance, 8000 ft of ADA Accessible Paths, Manmade Lake and Artificial Wetland. The EOR coordinated the surveying, geotechnical and environmental evaluations, and construction administration work.
Bok Tower Gardens Foundation, Inc. – Bok Towers Gardens Expansion, Lake Wales, FL – A cultural, civic, or Institutional Use managed that Kriss Kaye redesigned and oversaw the engineering, permitting and construction administration efforts of Bok Tower Gardens’, a National Historic Landmark, largest expansion (over the main gardens of 40+/- acres) in 90 years. This project, originally designed by the legendary landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr., was redesigned to enhance the visitors’ experience of the entire garden area with new visitor activity areas such as the Children’s Garden, accessible pathways, a shuttle route, a spectacular new oval lawn and special event lawn and new trails. The improvements included a new entrance gateway near the Visitors Center to the Singing Tower, an expanded and improved Wild Garden and Window by the Pond, the Pinewood Center Estate entrance, creation of an artificial lake and wetland, the edible outdoor kitchen, patron leisure ellipse, and the new Children’s Garden. Supporting infrastructure includes more than 8,000 lineal feet of new handicap accessible trails, the largest onsite disposal and treatment system in Polk County (with approximately 9,000 square feet of low pressure drain field and expandable space), new potable water lines, sanitary sewer lines, stormwater management retention/detention facilities, potable water mains, paved trails, ADA compliance, artificial wetland and pumping recirculation system. Obtained multiple permit approvals and assisted with construction administration activities and served as the client interface and coordinator among multiple contractors and designers.
