Skylands (estate) facts for kids
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Skylands
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Skylands manor
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 Location in Passaic County, New Jersey
Location in New Jersey
Location in the United States
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| Location | Ringwood State Park, Ringwood, New Jersey |
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| Area | 96 acres (39 ha) |
| Built | 1922 |
| Architect | John Russell Pope |
| Architectural style | Tudor Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 90001438 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | September 28, 1990 |
Skylands is a huge property in Ringwood State Park, New Jersey. It covers about 1,119 acres, which is like having over 800 football fields! This amazing place includes the historic Skylands Manor mansion and the New Jersey Botanical Garden. The botanical garden is 96 acres and is open to everyone all year round.
Skylands is nestled in the beautiful Ramapo Mountains. A group called the Skylands Association helps take care of it. You might also hear it called the New Jersey State Botanical Garden at Skylands.
The mansion and gardens were built in the 1920s. A man named Clarence MacKenzie Lewis, who was a stockbroker and engineer, owned the property then. He hired a famous architect, John Russell Pope, to design the manor house. The mansion has 44 rooms and looks like an old English home from the Tudor period. It has cool rectangular, bay, and oriel windows.
For a while, around the 1950s, Skylands was even a college campus! It was home to Shelton College until 1966. That year, the state of New Jersey bought the entire 1,117-acre property. The estate was recognized as a special place on September 28, 1990. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places because of its beautiful architecture and amazing gardens.
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Exploring the Gardens
When the State of New Jersey bought Skylands in 1966, they turned it into a State Botanical Garden. This means it's a special place where many different kinds of plants grow. The gardens are designed to be beautiful and interesting.
What You'll See in the Gardens
The gardens have many different sections, each with its own unique plants.
- The Lilac Garden is full of sweet-smelling lilac bushes.
- The Magnolia Walk features lovely magnolia trees.
- You can find native plants in the Wild Flower Garden.
- The Crab Apple Vista is a long path lined with crab apple trees.
- There's also an allée, which is a long path with 166 trees, stretching almost half a mile!
- The Perennial Garden has plants that come back year after year.
Unique Trees at Skylands
The Winter Garden area has some very special trees.
- You can see New Jersey's largest Jeffery pine tree here.
- On the east side, there's a weeping beech tree next to a very old upright beech.
- A unique Japanese umbrella pine also grows there.
- Other interesting trees from different parts of the world include an Algerian fir and an Atlas cedar.
Gallery
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The State Botanical Garden at Skylands
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Fall view of the garden
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An Outbuilding at Skylands Manor
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Shepherd Lake Recreation Area
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Eagle by Adolph Weinman from Pennsylvania Station (1910–1963), now at Skylands
Learn More
- List of botanical gardens in the United States
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Passaic County, New Jersey
See also
In Spanish: Casa solariega Skylands y jardín botánico del Estado para niños
