Mr. King’s Formal Gardens

Circle Pool

Originally, this area was planted with Eastern Red Cedar, but more recently ‘Techny’ Arborvitae have been planted. They will grow into a vertical wall and visually enclose the space around this garden pool. The pool itself is planted with waterlilies and other aquatic plants, surrounded by a colorful display of annual flowers.

This space was designed with repeated geometry. The stone tread on the stairs curve at the face with a circular stone in the landing tread. Also, the wall caps are curved forming a portion of a radius.

Historic Stairway

This area is axially organized with a formal progression of terraces stepping down from the sculpture of Pan the Piper to the fountain near the Lady of Gaillardia. Mr. King’s landscape designer specified that the pathway be turf instead of stone; however, with time the trees have grown to shade this area and turf could not handle the foot traffic the garden receives now. In Mr. King’s time, these flower beds were planted with perennials, instead of the annuals now used. The top terrace is composed of bluestone pavers surrounding a bronze statue of the Greek god, Pan the Piper.

Lady of Gaillardias

This vintage statue nestled between a hedge of hemlock shrubs is sculpted from white Colorado marble. She was created for Mr. King by a sculptor named Anthony Vozech. Mr. Vozech used three models for the statue, one girl for the head, and two women for the body. The Lady of Gaillardia was the show piece of the pool area during Mr. King’s day. When this statue was originally placed here, rows of Gaillardias (small daisy-like flowers with yellow blooms and deep red centers) were planted around her. This piece was carved from a solid piece of marble weighing around 3,000 lbs. The finished sculpture weighs about 1,400 lbs.

Pan the Piper

Installed in the mid-1930s, Pan the Piper was created by award-winning sculptor, Anton Vozech, at the request of Charles Kelley King. Pan the Piper is fashioned from bronze. In Greek mythology, Pan is considered the protector of all hunters and wildlife.

Trellis Garden

Originally this was the location of Mr. King’s swimming pool. The pool predated Mr. King’s purchase of the property in 1912 and was considered an unimaginable luxury.

The detail in the brick of the bathhouses, geometric paving patterns, and a trimmed hedge gives the area a refined feeling. The unusual trellis was designed and constructed in 1928 by architect Donald V. Senour Hahn. Hahn also designed the Sunken Garden’s shelter house and the Kingwood Hall Flower Room.

Mr. King enjoyed entertaining and the pool was often the gathering spot of young people who were friends of Mr. King’s nephews or employees from Ohio Brass. The pool was rimmed with close-cut mint instead of grass so that the fragrance would be released when walked upon.

The statue of Satyr and Faun by Vozech is made of Italian marble and was installed between the bathhouses in 1930. Satyr is from both Roman and Greek mythology, a part man-part beast nature spirit. This Roman inspired statue is part man with ears, horns, tail, and legs of a goat. Many Greek Satyrs combine man with horse features.

The pool was filled in about the time that Kingwood opened to the public in 1953. Presently, the Bathhouse Beds are two main display beds featuring annual and several bits of lawn in the swimming pool area.