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Brooklyn Botanic Garden 2005 Annual Report
BBG Master Site Plan
The Alice Recknagel Ireys Fragrance Garden: Celebrating 50 years. Created in 1955 from a design by landscape architect Alice Recknagel Ireys, the BBG Fragrance Garden was the first public garden in the U.S. designed for enjoyment by the sight-impaired.
In 2004–05, Brooklyn Botanic Garden took important steps forward in implementing the first projects of its master site plan, which was developed in 1999–2000 to create a comprehensive vision for long-term physical growth as the Garden prepares for its centennial, in 2010.
One priority of the master site plan, created with the help of architects Cooper, Robertson & Partners, is to redesign each of the Garden's entrances, which will improve visitor access, enhance the visibility of the Garden, and forge stronger connections with the surrounding communities. In the past year, BBG continued construction of the new Eastern Parkway entrance, designed by Polshek Partnership Architects LLP. The new entrance provides a more welcoming public plaza and architectural gateway at the northern entrance to the Garden. New plantings in the enlarged public plaza create a display that will be visible to the public at all times and provide a clear sense that visitors have arrived at a botanic garden.
A number of trees were planted, including BBG selections Magnolia × 'Lois' and Magnolia × 'Judy Zuk'. Workers completed the bluestone hardscape, steel banner poles, masonry facades, and ticket-booth interiors in time for a functional opening on April 1, 2005. Other elements, including the cherry-leaf-motif stainless steel gate and cladding for the exterior walls, will be completed later in 2005.
Work begins on the Fragrance Garden in the spring of 1955.
The master site plan also aims to restore the many historic gardens and other areas within BBG. In 2004–05, the Osborne Garden, Magnolia Plaza, and the Cranford Rose Garden were rejuvenated. The Osborne Garden reopened in April, following a yearlong restoration that included renovated bluestone paving, a rebuilt and replanted boulder wall, a refurbished fountain, and new benches. A new irrigation system was installed in the northern part of the garden, and the Overlook was repaved, with new benches installed.
Magnolia Plaza received an extensive makeover, with new bluestone, terrazzo, and brass elements. The limestone walls leading to the current Visitor Center were repaired, and the adjacent planting wells were waterproofed to ensure the walls' integrity. Staircases and a number of precast concrete elements, including planters in the magnolia beds, were also installed.
The rose arbor in the historic Cranford Rose Garden was rebuilt, providing a reinvigorated and gleaming white centerpiece that remains true to the original design. This work was funded by the Brooklyn delegation of the New York State Assembly, in memory of Assemblywoman Eileen C. Dugan. The north fence and gates were also restored and repositioned to accommodate the trunk of a large wisteria vine. The center beds of the garden were embellished with ornamental post-and-chain enclosures, adding a decorative touch and helping eliminate the compaction of soil around the roses. Soil throughout the garden was enriched with organic material, and more than 300 new rose varieties, including a number of All-America Rose Selections, were added.
The rose arbor in the historic Cranford Rose Garden was rebuilt, providing a reinvigorated and gleaming white centerpiece that remains true to the original design. This work was funded by the Brooklyn delegation of the New York State Assembly, in memory of Assemblywoman Eileen C. Dugan.
Finally, BBG began design of one of the keystone projects of its master plan: a new Visitor Center and entrance that will be located in the northern end of Cherry Esplanade. In November, Weiss/Manfredi Architects of New York was selected as the architectural design firm. The architects conducted a careful site analysis and reviewed construction concepts with the Visitor Center Committee; this will lead to more specific design plans in the year ahead. The new Visitor Center and entrance will allow BBG to welcome, orient, and educate visitors in one place. It will also provide a series of amenities far greater than what BBG is currently able to offer, in a gracious, inspiring setting, and will incorporate “green” design strategies wherever possible.
Design and construction of the new Eastern Parkway entrance and restoration of key Garden areas were generously funded by an allocation of $6.8 million from the City of New York, thanks to the support of the Brooklyn borough president and the Brooklyn delegation of the City Council, through the Department of Cultural Affairs and the Department of Design and Construction. Design of the new Visitor Center and entrance received initial funding through a generous challenge grant from the Independence Community Foundation and additional support from the Achelis and Bodman Foundations, the Kresge Foundation's Green Building Initiative, and the New York State Council on the Arts.