The City of Asheville in 1949 removed 30 trees from the garden at the request of Griffing Boulevard neighbors to increase visibility of kids playing in the park. By the end of the decade, Asheville Parks & Recreation (APR) set up displays at local flower shows featuring the famous roses from Griffing Boulevard Rose Garden. In 1926, he developed Kimberly Heights in Asheville with a similar thought to bring the North Carolina mountains to residents’ front yards.Īn immediate hit with locals and visitors, the rose garden was often featured in newspapers and travel publications listing “peak bloom” dates for those planning to spend time in the park. After managing a nursery, he turned to real estate development, creating Griffing Biscayne Park Estates near Miami featuring grounds filled with citrus trees and landscape design that resembled tropical gardens. Griffing Boulevard is named for Arthur Griffing, an entrepreneur who came to Asheville from New York by way of Florida. Similar partnerships would lead the task of revitalizing Griffing Boulevard Rose Garden again and again over the years. The project included several community garden clubs and city leaders who embarked on a city-wide beautification campaign. The nearly 1-acre space had been designed as a natural park with hemlocks and other trees surrounding a flat lawn. In 1941, 860 rose bushes were planted in a median at the center of Griffing Boulevard. Grove Park, three other public spaces retain much of the historic charm from the time period. When North Asheville’s neighborhoods were developed in the early 20th century, they were builts as suburbs with large lawns and tree-lined streets, making nature a part of everyday life. This entry is part of Park Views, an Asheville Parks & Recreation series that explores the history of the city’s public parks and community centers – and the mountain spirit that helped make them the unique spaces they are today.
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