EDWARD BOK

Edward Bok, born October 9, 1863 at Den Helder, The Netherlands, died within sight of this tower January 9, 1930. At his request, his family placed his grave in the lawn in front of the Great Brass Door. Coming to the United States as a poor immigrant boy of six, he achieved success as a writer and editor. Late in Life he created the sanctuary as a place of repose for the human spirit, built the tower with the Great Carillon as its central accent, and presented them to the American people for visitation as his thanks for the success they had given him.

                                                                                                                                                            The Mountain Lake Sanctuary

 The Sanctuary is owned by The American Foundation. A non-profit corporation created and endowed by Edward Bok to hold title to the sanctuary and singing tower and to maintain them. Mr. Bok bought the property planted it, built the tower and presented the sanctuary to the American people for visitation. It was dedicated president Calvin Coolidge on February 1, 1929.

 The sanctuary is under the protection of the public.

                                                                                                                      Four Million Pounds of Georgia Marble

Nearly 2,000 tons of Pink Etowah and Gray Creole Marble were used in the construction of the tower. Cut at the quarries of the Georgia Marble Company in Tate, Georgia, it was selected by tower architect Mcdary because of its warm beauty, durability and adaptability to carving. Sam Tate, owner of the quarry wrote “The gray marble at the base of the Singing Tower is cut to suggest an outline of a bell, while slender arches of pink Georgia marble rise from the base over an ashlar of Florida coquina rock to the marble band crowning The Tower.” Marble from this quarry was used at the Ringling residence in Sarasota: the Lincoln Memorial in Washington: the Field Museum, Chicago: the Cleveland Art Museum: and the Corcoran Gallery, Washington, D.C. State capitols in Kansas, Kentucky, Utah and Rhode Island also utilized marble from this firm.

                                                                                                                             Coquina – Florida’s Native Rock

Coquina is a Limestone and shell rock in Florida. It was used by the Spanish to build the fort in St. Augustine and is a primary element in the construction of the Tower.

Still quarried in Florida today, coquina is sometimes called the "youngest rock” because of its recent  formation. It results when limestone shells are compressed over time and are bound tightly into a conglomerate, concrete-like in nature.

Since there were few stones natural to the east coast of Florida, the Spanish settlers of the 16the century learned to use coquina in constructing St. Augustine and other settlements along the northeast Florida coast. This material was cleverly used by Medary to contrast with the wonderful Georgia marble to be a part of the Tower’s outer skin. While it can be rubbed to a smooth finish, most coquina is left in a natural state following careful cutting.

1 Coquina is harvested from large subsurface pockets by carefully cutting it in place and bringing it out in large cubes.

2 Areas where coquina is found are usually rich in fossils.

                                                                                                                                                Click on the photo below to view a slideshow of the Bok Tower & Gardens

Click on the above photo to view a slideshow of the 2011 Fall Colors

                                                                                                                                                     Click on any photo below to view a larger photo

Houghton Portage Canal	Black River Near Rainbow Falls	Copper Peak Ski Flying Panorama
	Ironwood Garden Pond