Browse »
home »
Ault
»
Garden
»
Great
»
Ohio
»
Park
»
the
»
Tour
»
The Great Ohio Garden Tour Ault Park
The Great Ohio Garden Tour Ault Park
 |
| Arbor in the South Garden |
Fair warning! To say I am a bit biased about the next garden I am to introduce you to is a bit of an understatement. I grew up with Ault Park at the foot of my street. When I was young it was my summer day camp, a place to rescue stray dogs and watch the Fourth of July fireworks. When I was older, and had returned to Cincinnati after living in northern Wisconsin for many years, it was the place I set new roots; both personal and garden.
 |
| Old postcard of the Pavilion |
Ault Park is the gem of the Queen City park system. There are very few parks that can offer what this park has; playgrounds, woodland trails, a stunning Pavilion, a year long list of events from dances to art shows, formal gardens, informal gardens, a great lawn, fireworks and weeping cherries that attract visitors in droves.
 |
| Enjoying a picnic lunch in the shade of a massive tree at the park |
Welcome to Ault Park
Ault Park is the fourth largest park in Cincinnati with its 223.949 acres. Two roads lead to the park meeting at a circle road that wraps around the gardens and Pavilion. Ault Park is named in memory of Ida May Ault and Levi Addison Ault. Levi was a former Park Commissioner who was prominently active in Cincinnati Parks development. Levi described the land as having, “a million dollar view worthy of a structure of no lesser beauty than the Parthenon." The initial 142-acre tract in 1911 and nine subsequent acquisitions were gifts of the Aults to the City of Cincinnati. A bronze plaque of Levis Addison Ault, designed by the famous Cincinnati sculptor, Clement Barnhorn, is affixed to a glacier boulder of rose granite on the terrace to the south of the Pavilion.
 |
| The Brumm Arbor in the Adopt-A-Plot gardens |
The Pavilion, which was dedicated in 1930 offers a stunning 360 degree view of the park, Lunken Airport and Hyde Park, including the Observatory when the trees are free of their foliage. The Pavilion is the centerpiece, the heart of the park. From the roof, looking directly out across the park, one has the best view of the grounds designed by George Kesler and later modified by A.D. Taylor. The center lawn is flanked by walkways and trees creating an alley. To the right or north of the main lawn are the adopt-a-pot gardens. The adopt-a–plots are a somewhat newer addition to the park. Magnolias and Taxus create the foundation, the bones of this formal garden area and act as evergreen borders separating the numerous garden plots which are planned, planted and cared for by members of the community. The adopt-a-plots were installed as a way to help revitalize the gardens and park when things had taken a turn for the worse.
 |
| Morning light along the secondary walk in the south garden |
After years of dances, parries, picnics and warm summer days, the park fell into disrepair. The stunning pavilion was crumbling; the cascading fountain a dry, ruinous trash filled site and thugs, bikers and other unsavory types had turned the once lush garden and grounds into their outdoor clubhouse. At last a few people said enough and took the park back. After much hard work, the formation of the Ault Park Advisory Counsel and countless hours of volunteer work, the Pavilion was restored to its formal glory and the park was once again a place for families to visit- the thugs had to find a new place to trash. Several great stories of generosity and remembrance are woven into the renovation of the park. Monica Nolan raised money for renovation of the cascade in memory of her sister, Nora May Nolan, a Withrow High School teacher, who was key in arranging the annual July 4 band concert and fireworks. In addition, over 150 donors bought balusters for the Pavilion.
 |
| Plaque for Mr Ault. |
The Smittie Memorial Concert Green, near the Pavilion, was dedicated on June 14, 1987. George G. “Smittie” Smith, a music teacher at Withrow High School for 30 years, led his band at the traditional July 4 celebration. He had given park concerts for 50 years.
 |
| Garden Club bench. Today Oakleaf Hydrangea frame this lovey seat. |
A memorial bench of Bedford stone near the Principio Avenue entrance was a gift of the Cincinnati Garden Club.
 |
| Add caption |
 |
| Weeping cherries in bloom stop traffic along Observatory |
No comments:
Post a Comment