Viridis Garden Design Continues With Greening of Park
Landscaping efforts continue during the months of February and March as Viridis Garden Design installs a number of new plantings in the park. Last summer ('03), Viridis and Jones/Ellas Designs drafted landscape plans for green islands in parking areas, a large swath along a new stone pathway, the new pond area, the Georgia Avnune entrance and the Constituiton Springs area. This installation will concentrate on the pathway area and includes the following plant material:
- Cryptomeria japonica 'Yoshino'
- Magnolia grandiflora
- Juiperus virginiana
- Amelanchier 'Autumn Brillance'
- Amelanchier x grandiflora
- Vitex x 'Shoal Creek'
- Chionanthus virginicus
- Quercus myrsinifolia (multi)
- Quercus myrsinifolia (standard)
- Carpinus betulus 'Fastigiata'
- Cornus kousa 'Angustata'
- Crape Myrtle 'Natchez'
- Hypericum 'Hidcote'
- Philadelphus coronaius
- Prunus caroliniana 'Bright-N-Tight'
- Hydrangea quercifolia
- Hibiscus syriacus 'Minerva'
- Viburnum macrocephalum
- Asiatic jasmine
The Grant Park Conservancy, in its partnership with the Atlanta Bureau of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs continues to improve the park. The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation is a major funder/supporter of these efforts over the last 18 months.
First Saturday Work Days
Each month the Conservancy hosts a First Saturday Work Day to facilitate the involvement of people concerned about the condition of our parks and green spaces. Over the past couple of years thousands of volunteers from all over the metro area have come to Grant Park to help plant, clean, mulch, weed, water, and more. The visual effects are instant and gratifying. Individuals, groups, clubs, corporate teams, fraternities, school groups, etc. have planted over two thousand trees, hundreds of shrubs and flowers, distributed over 2500 cubic yards of mulch and been exposed to the history and needs of the park. Some of the groups participating include Trees Atlanta, Atlanta Girls School, Deloitte Consulting, Georgia State School of Law, Georgia Tech, BellSouth, Bank of America, Park Pride, Starbucks, King & Spalding, Westminster Schools, Georgia Power, Turner Companies, Home Depot, Hands on Atlanta, Rich's/Macy's Partners in Time, Delta Air Lines and more. Groups can choose to participate in our First Saturday Work Day or request a day of their own (404-521-0938).
A great park needs everyone to be involved in its care and maintenance.
You can sign up to help by visiting the Calendar section of this website, choose a month and click on the First Saturday that fits your schedule. We look forward to working with you in the park.
Grant Park Fountains Restoration Study Provides Road Map to Saving Historic Structures
Over the last year the Grant Park Conservancy conducted a feasibility study on two historic fountains located in the park. In October 2001, the Conservancy received a $10,000 Pre-development grant from the Georgia Department of Natural Resources Historic Preservation Division to get the process started. The Fountains Restoration Committee then raised an additional $7200 to cover the remaining costs of the study. Contributors included the Audrey and Jack Morgan Foundation, Inc., the Ray M. & Mary Elizabeth Lee Foundation, Inc. and many individuals. Wine and cheese receptions were held at Kelley's Grocery, the home of Winston Killingsworth and Glenn Storie, the home of Jessica and Will Gaines and a special evening reception at the Milledge Fountain. The architectural firm of Surber Barber Choate & Hertlein was commissioned to conduct the study and contributed services beyond the scope of the contract in order to assist the Conservancy in this phase.
The two fountains at the center of this study are both of historical significance. A large stone and tile fountain on Cherokee Avenue at Milledge Avenue was installed in 1927. It was designed by the Edwards and Sayward architectural firm that also designed the Roosevelt, the club house at Bobby Jones Golf Course, buildings on the campus of Columbia Theological Seminary and Agnes Scott College, structures in Candler and Piedmont Parks, and a number of buildings on the campus of the University of Florida in Gainesville.
A second fountain, located on Cherokee Avenue at Ormond Street, was moved to Grant Park in 1912 from its original location at Peachtree Street and West Peachtree Street in downtown Atlanta. The Erskine Fountain, dedicated and named for Judge John Erskine (died 1895) is a one-of-kind design by artist/sculptor J. Massey Rhind.
"These fountains are not operational and have been neglected for a number of years," said M. Lew Miller, Chairman of the Fountains Restoration Committee. As a result of budget constraints and basic indifference the structures are in a state of deterioration that, if not reversed, will result in their eventual loss. "We are simply not going to allow it," says Miller. "Structures like this help tell the story of Atlanta's history. These fountains rest in the oldest public park in the city. The park is the center of the city's largest historic district and one of its first neighborhoods. They are just too important to lose."
Surber Barber Choate & Hertlein assembled a team of experts to assist in the study. The team consisted of a Ceramic/Artistic Consultant, Georgia Fountain Company experts, and Robinson Iron of Alexander City, Alabama. Robinson Iron is noted for restoration and re-creation of metal structures and has worked on a number of projects with the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C. The team developed a road map for restoring the fountains to working condition but also recommended strategies for restoring the actual structures and surface treatments for their protection.
"We anticipated a hefty price tag for this restoration," Miller states. "When you neglect things for years and make no effort to care or protect them, the cost to put it all back together is greater than if there had been regular maintenance. We are not yet prepared to assign a total cost for restoration although the study places a price tag of $310,000 on the basic restoration. We must also consider their on-going maintenance with periodic treatments, electrical costs, water costs, lighting, landscaping and security. Is it expensive? Sure. But are we willing to pay the price of losing them all together?"
The Conservancy is now working to identify funding sources for the full restoration. For more information 404-521-0938.
Restoration of the Milledge Fountain
A group of interested individuals, led by Lew Miller, Chairman of the Historical Subcommittee of the Grant Park Neighborhood Association, is working with the Grant Park Conservancy to develop a cost analysis and restoration plan for the old fountain at Cherokee Ave and Milledge Ave.
This fountain is known to some as the Milledge Fountain, and others call it the "Horse Drinking Fountain." The fountain was installed in 1927, but, sadly, has not been in operating order for many years.
Those working to restore the fountain are researching the original design plans, potential funding sources, contractors, etc. You can help! Contact the Conservancy for more information and to volunteer for this effort.
