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 (20 ha) state park located in Canandaigua, New York. It sits at the north end of Canandaigua Lake, in the lovely Finger Lakes region. The park includes a historic mansion and many different gardens. Visitors can explore the house and gardens every day from May through October.
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History of Sonnenberg Gardens
This special property used to be the summer home of a very important couple. They were Frederick Ferris Thompson, a well-known banker from New York City, and his wife, Mary Clark Thompson. Mary's father, Myron Holley Clark, was the Governor of New York State in 1855. The Clark family lived in 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, forty-room Queen Anne style mansion. The property also had a 100-acre (40 ha) farm next to it. The amazing gardens at Sonnenberg were designed and built between 1902 and 1919. There were originally nine different gardens, each with its own unique style.
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. Today, this is 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 transferred the mansion and its grounds from the government to a local non-profit group. This group was created to fix up and reopen the property. It first opened to the public in 1973. All nine gardens have been restored, and visitors can also tour the mansion. In 2005, the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation bought the estate. The non-profit organization still helps to run it today.
Exploring the Gardens
Today, most of the beautiful gardens have been restored. Here are some of the gardens you can see:
- The Conservatory – This is a complex of glass greenhouses, built between 1903 and 1915. It's considered one of the most important residential greenhouse complexes in the United States. It includes a domed Palm House. Other glass houses feature delicate orchids, spiky cacti, and other tropical plants.
- Japanese Garden – This garden is a miniature Japanese landscape with small mountains. It has a traditional torii gate, which is a special archway often found at the entrance to a Japanese shrine. There is also a statue of Buddha.
- Sub Rosa Garden – This is a green garden, meaning it has no flowers. It features a white marble fountain complex. Green lawns, boxwood shrubs, and evergreens surround the fountain. The fountain statues show Zeus, Artemis, and Apollo.
- Rose Garden – This garden has a belvedere, which is a building designed to offer a beautiful view. It is home to over 2,500 rose bushes! The main flower beds are red, white, and pink. Other beds have a wider variety of colors.
- Italian Garden – This garden has four sunken parterres. These are formal garden beds arranged in a decorative pattern, here a fleur-de-lis shape. They are bordered by yews and filled with about 20,000 annual flowers.
- Blue & White Garden – As its name suggests, 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 charming pedestal fountain is the main feature in the middle.
- Moonlight Garden – This garden has only white flowers. They bloom in the late afternoon and many are very fragrant. You can find plants like heliotrope, tuberoses, and verbenas here.
- 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 annuals and perennials. Diagonal paths cross through the garden, and an arbor (a shaded walkway) is in the center.
- Rock Garden – This garden used to be three separate gardens but is now one large, informal, wooded area. Its path winds through a canyon made of puddingstone. This rock has natural pockets and cracks where alpine plants grow. The garden also has 500 feet (150 m) of streams, waterfalls, and pools. These are fed by geysers and springs.
- Specimen Trees – The grounds are also planted with many special trees. Some were even planted by important guests! Today, there are over 140 different types of trees.
The Mansion
The 40-room Queen Anne style mansion was built between 1885 and 1887. It was designed by Francis B. Allen, a famous architect from Boston. Allen also oversaw changes to the mansion about 15 years after it was first built. Two of the three floors inside the mansion are furnished and open for visitors to explore.
The mansion's outside walls, called the facade, are made of rough graystone. It has Medina sandstone trim and gables (the triangular parts of the wall under the roof) 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, there are other attractions at Sonnenberg.
- Finger Lakes Wine Center: This center is located in the Bay House. It offers a chance to taste and buy many local wines from the Finger Lakes region. There is also a nice gift shop here.
- Cafe: A cafe is located in the Gardener's House. You can enjoy light lunches there.
See also
In Spanish: Sonnenberg Gardens para niños
