Sonnenberg Gardens facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Sonnenberg Gardens
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Sonnenberg Mansion
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 Location in New York
Location in the United States
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| Location | 250 Gibson Street., Canandaigua, New York |
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| Built | 1887 |
| Architect | Bowditch, Ernest; John Handrahan. |
| Architectural style | Queen Anne |
| NRHP reference No. | 73001240 |
| Added to NRHP | September 28, 1973 |
Sonnenberg Gardens and Mansion State Historic Park is a beautiful 50-acre state park in Canandaigua, New York. It sits at the top of Canandaigua Lake in the Finger Lakes region. This amazing place includes a grand mansion and stunning gardens. You can visit the house and gardens from May to October each year.
Contents
Discovering Sonnenberg's Past
How the Park Began
Sonnenberg was once the summer home of Frederick Ferris Thompson, a well-known banker from New York City. His wife, Mary Clark Thompson, was also very important. Her father, Myron Holley Clark, was the Governor of New York State in 1855. The Clark family came from Canandaigua.
The Thompsons bought the Sonnenberg property in 1863. They kept the name "Sonnenberg," which means "sunny hill" in German. In 1887, they replaced the old farmhouse with a huge 40-room Queen Anne style mansion. The property also had a 100-acre farm next to it. The beautiful gardens at Sonnenberg were designed and built between 1902 and 1919. There were originally nine different gardens, each with its own special style.
From Private Home to Public Park
The Thompsons did not have any children. After Mary Clark Thompson passed away in 1923, her nephew inherited the estate. In 1931, he sold the property to the United States government. The government built a hospital for veterans on the nearby farmland. This hospital is now called the Canandaigua VA Medical Center. The mansion was used to house doctors' families and some nurses.
In 1972, a special law called the Sonnenberg Bill was passed. This law moved the mansion and its grounds from the government to a local non-profit group. This group was formed to fix up and reopen the property for everyone to enjoy. Sonnenberg Gardens and Mansion opened to the public in 1973. All nine gardens have been restored, and visitors can tour the mansion. In 2005, the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation bought the estate. The non-profit group still helps run the park today.
Exploring the Beautiful Gardens
Most of the gardens at Sonnenberg have been carefully restored. Here are some of the amazing gardens you can see:
- The Conservatory: This is a complex of glass greenhouses built between 1903 and 1915. It is considered one of the most important residential greenhouse complexes in the United States. It includes a domed Palm House, along with other glass houses filled with orchids, cacti, and tropical plants.
- Japanese Garden: This garden is like a tiny Japanese landscape with mountains. It has a special torii gate. People say its tea house was designed like an old tea house in Kyoto, Japan. There is also a statue of Buddha here.
- Sub Rosa Garden: This is a green garden with no flowers. It has a white marble fountain surrounded by green lawn, boxwood bushes, and evergreen trees. The fountain features Zeus, with Artemis and Apollo.
- Rose Garden: This garden has a belvedere (a small building with a nice view) and over 2,500 rose bushes. The main flower beds are red, white, and pink, while other beds have many different colors.
- Italian Garden: This garden has four sunken parterres (flat garden beds) shaped like a fleur-de-lis. They are bordered by yews and filled with about 20,000 annual flowers.
- Blue & White Garden: This garden features only blue and white flowers. A Zelkova japonica tree stands in the center.
- Pansy Garden: This garden is planted with colorful pansies. A lovely pedestal fountain is the main feature in the middle.
- Moonlight Garden: This garden has only white flowers that bloom in the late afternoon. Many of them are very fragrant, like heliotrope, tuberoses, and verbenas.
- Old-Fashioned Garden: This is a geometric garden. A low boxwood hedge forms a pattern of five circles. Four sections, each with a center circle, are filled with annual and perennial flowers. There are also paths that cross diagonally, and an arbor in the center.
- Rock Garden: This garden used to be three separate gardens but is now one informal, wooded area. Its path winds through a canyon made of puddingstone rock. This rock has natural pockets and cracks where alpine plants grow. Water flows through 500 feet of streams, waterfalls, and pools. These are fed by geysers and springs.
- Specimen Trees: The grounds are also home to many special trees. Some were planted by important guests. Today, there are over 140 different kinds of trees.
Inside the Grand Mansion
The 40-room Queen Anne style mansion was built between 1885 and 1887. It was designed by Francis R. Allen, a famous architect from Boston. Allen also oversaw changes to the mansion about 15 years after it was built. Two of the mansion's three floors are furnished and open for visitors to explore.
The mansion's outside walls are made of rough graystone with Medina sandstone details. The gables (the triangular parts of the walls under the roof) are made from timber and stucco. The roof is covered with slate tiles and lead-coated copper.
Other Fun Things to Do
Besides the nine gardens and the mansion, Sonnenberg has more to offer:
- Finger Lakes Wine Center: This center is located in the Bay House. It offers many local wines for tasting and buying. There is also a nice gift shop here.
- Cafe: A cafe is located in the Gardener's House. It serves light lunches for visitors.
See also
In Spanish: Sonnenberg Gardens para niños
