Topiary Park facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Topiary Park |
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| Old Deaf School Park | |
The park's central design, replicating A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte
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| Type | Urban park |
| Location | Columbus, Ohio, U.S. |
| Area | 9.182 acres (3.716 ha) |
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| Administered by | Columbus Recreation and Parks Department |
| Public transit access |  Add→ 10, 11 CoGo |
Topiary Park is a special public park in Columbus, Ohio. It is also known as Old Deaf School Park. This park is about 9.2-acre (3.7 ha) in size.
What makes it unique is its garden, called the Topiary Garden. This garden shows figures from a famous painting. The painting is A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte by Georges Seurat. Topiary Park is the only park in the world based entirely on a painting!
The park is owned by the city of Columbus. The Columbus Recreation and Parks Department takes care of it.
Contents
Exploring Topiary Park
Topiary Park is located in downtown Columbus. It features amazing plants called topiaries. These plants are carefully trimmed into different shapes. You will see life-size shapes of people, animals, and even boats.
All these shapes are arranged to look like the painting A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte. There are 54 people, eight boats, three dogs, a monkey, and a cat. The park also has 220 trees, with 35 different types. Sometimes, you can even enjoy live jazz concerts here!
Park Connections and Features
The park is right next to the Main Branch of the Columbus Metropolitan Library. Around 2015, the library was updated. One goal was to make it feel more connected to the park.
Near the park's southeast corner is the gatehouse. This building is the main entrance to the park. It is 2,400-square-foot (220 m2) in size. Inside, you will find offices, restrooms, and a gift shop. The gatehouse was built in 1998. It looks like a French countryside house, matching the park's theme.
Park History
The land where Topiary Park now sits was once part of the Ohio School for the Deaf. This school had a large campus of about 10-acre (4 ha). A dormitory for the students was built on this spot.
In 1953, the school moved to a new location. After that, the area around the old school became less lively. Many of the old school buildings burned down in 1981. This event led to the idea of creating a park, which helped make the area better again.
Creating the Topiary Garden
The park began to be developed in the mid-1980s. It was first known as Old Deaf School Park. Two artists from Columbus, James and Elaine Mason, came up with the idea for the Topiary Garden.
The garden was built as a special exhibit for AmeriFlora '92. This was a big flower and garden show held in Columbus in 1992. The topiaries were sculpted in 1989. Hills and a small pond were also added. The pond was designed to look like the River Seine in France, which is in the original painting.
Gallery
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The park's gatehouse
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Topiary Garden
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A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte
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Informational sign
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Historical marker
