Historic gardens back in bloom

The decade-long effort to restore Spokane’s Moore-Turner Heritage Gardens on the lower South Hill is being recognized as one of the top historic preservation projects in the state.

City parks officials have been notified that the gardens have been chosen for two awards as they are being prepared for their first full season, beginning May 17.

The Washington chapter of the American Public Works Association has selected the gardens as its historic preservation project of the year.

In addition, Washington state’s historic preservation officer is honoring the garden restoration for outstanding achievement in historic preservation. Both awards are coming this spring.

The gardens open at 10 a.m. May 17 with a series of events that day for children and a lecture by lilac expert Geri Odell.

“We’ve had a lot of interest from the public,” said Lynn Mandyke, director of the Corbin Art Center, which is adjacent to the heritage gardens in Pioneer Park along Seventh Avenue west of Stevens Street.

The gardens, a faithful restoration of the grounds of a mansion once at the site, debuted to the public in August with limited weekend openings.

This year, plants have had a chance to establish themselves and grow. A succession of flowering shrubs and perennials should greet visitors throughout the season. A highlight may come during the opening, if the garden’s large lilac grove is in bloom, Mandyke said.

Part of the restoration included removing volunteer maples, smaller pine trees and undergrowth that had choked the former gardens and prevented sunlight from reaching beds. Now that more light is penetrating to the garden floor, city staff is making discoveries.

“Daffodils came up we have never seen before,” Mandyke said. “It’s exciting.”

The gardens are a faithful replication of the estate grounds that had been built behind a turn-of-the-century mansion along Seventh Avenue just west of Stevens Street. They include a 70-foot concrete pond, arbors, reflecting pool, formal gardens, tea house, walkways and sections of ruins that were not restored.

Visitors will be able to rest on a newly installed bench adjacent to the upper concrete pond, which is reached by traversing along paths on the garden’s steep hillside. A drinking fountain also was installed.

“It’s quite a climb,” Mandyke said. “It’ll be a reward for them.”

The hike to the top of the garden offers visitors a panoramic view across the city toward Mount Spokane.

Old photographs, records and excavation uncovered the historic landscape, which was the backyard of the Moores and Turners, two wealthy pioneer families who successively occupied an 1889 Kirtland Cutter-designed mansion there.

Judge George Turner died in 1932, and his wife, Bertha, moved away, setting the stage for the gardens’ decay. The mansion was torn down in 1940.

The Turners used the gardens as a backdrop on the judge’s career, which included one term as a U.S. senator and appointments to international delegations. Bertha Turner donated scrapbooks and photographs to the archives at Washington State University, where researchers retrieved them in the late 1990s when Mandyke started working on her dream of bringing the gardens back to life.

Partial restoration started in 2005, and completion became possible with a $1.2 million donation from Myrtle Woldson later that year. She lives near the gardens.

In addition to the lilac lecture, opening day will include a lady bug party for ages 5 through 11 and a garden stake-making project for ages 3 to 5. Both events are at 10 a.m. and the cost is $12 each. At 1 p.m., children can learn how to encourage wildlife in gardens. The cost of that event is $14. Signups are encouraged by calling 625-6677.

Garden hours are from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on May 17, 18, 24, 25 and 26. On May 28, the gardens will switch to a Wednesday through Sunday schedule and be open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. The gardens will return to a weekend-only schedule in September.