Post IV: The Sunken Gardens

I have always noticed the Sunken Gardens as I have driven past it on 27th street. The Sunken Gardens was always a place I wanted to visit so when our class received our assignment I knew right away where I wanted to go. Upon arriving to the Sunken Gardens I was immediately taken in by its astounding scenery. To say the Sunken Gardens is beautiful would be an understatement. You would not have thought that back in the 1930s that very same place was an abandoned dumpsite.
To better understand the Sunken Gardens it helps to hear some background information. In the early winter of the 1930s during the Great Depression the city provided jobs for 200 family men to build the Sunken Gardens. It was originally designed by Assistant Superintendent Fred W. Goebel. It originally started out being a rock garden, it was primarily called Lincoln’s Rock Garden, and the whole structure was made out of stone. The walls, fountains, and statues were all made of rock.
Today the Sunken Garden is just that, a huge garden. Everywhere you look you see thousands of colorful flowers, trees, and ponds. The garden is not only just filled with plants but also full of astonishing sculptures. One sculpture that is particularly famous is “Rebeka at the Well.” The original “Rebeka at the Well” was a concrete woman holding a jug full of water. The statue was around for 70 years until the city retired it in 2004. Now there is a new statue in her place, also named “Rebecca at the Well,” but just spelled differently. This new statue is a bronze Rebecca that was created by David Young in 2005.
The Sunken Gardens is a must see for anyone in Lincoln who appreciates the outdoors. There is a particularly beautiful spot at the end called the Healing Garden which consists of white blossoms that inspires calm and serenity. The funny part of it is that if you look out about ten feet you will see the street filled with cars passing by, not very tranquil.