BOK TOWERS & GARDENS - The Most Amazing Bell Tower

Our good friend Dick Allen here at Cedar Key Resort recommended this Garden to us and WOW we were not disappointed ! What an amazing story this Tower is, built by a Poor Immigrant that came to the United States and became wealthy and famous and this is his gift to the American people.
Just read his life story and you will appreciate how this all came about.

The Bok Tower and Gardens lie 20 west of Tampa Florida at Lake Wales. It was built in 1929, stands 205 feet tall and is made of carved Granit and Marble in a Neo-Gothic style, inside is a bell tower with 60 cast bells that range in size from a few inches to a massive 60 ton bell!  The bells are played on a keyboard much like a piano. The front door is solid brass and depicts the Book of Genesis, in the rear is a massive sundial and the whole think is surround by a moat much like a castle.
LINK: https://boktowergardens.org/our-history/

Also on the grounds in the heart of seven and one-half lush acres at Bok Tower Gardens is Pinewood Estate, a 20-room Mediterranean-style mansion. Originally named “El Retiro,” meaning “retreat” in Spanish, the Estate was built in the early 1930s for Charles Austin Buck, a Bethlehem Steel vice president. Now this historic Estate is open for tours throughout the year to visitors of Bok Tower Gardens.
LINK: https://boktowergardens.org/pinewood-estate/

                                                                                             

Amazon Lilies

Our good friend Dick

ISIDE LOOK OF MASSIVE BELLS

Mr. and Mrs. Bok 1929