History

The Cleveland Cultural Gardens are a major part of the city’s 254-acre Rockefeller Park. The tranquil area spans two miles between University Circle, Cleveland’s renowned arts and cultural district, and Lake Erie. The land was donated to the city by oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller in 1896. The park was designed by prominent landscape architect Ernest W. Bowditch.

The Cultural Gardens were born in 1916, with the establishment of the Shakespeare Garden by Shakespeare enthusiast and journalist Leo Weidenthal. Weidenthal, editor and publisher of the Jewish Independent, conceived of the idea to establish more gardens honoring the artists and cultural icons of the immigrant communities who had come to call Cleveland home. His idea, and the efforts of Charles Wolfram, led to founding of the Cleveland Cultural Gardens Federation in the mid-1920s.

The Hebrew Garden, dedicated in 1926, was the first official member of the Cleveland Cultural Gardens Federation. The gardens, then and now, are sponsored and developed by the individual ethnic communities after which they’re named. They work in conjunction with the CCGF and the city to bring their cultural “homes” to life. In the 1930s and 1940s, the federal Works Progress Administration – Franklin D. Roosevelt’s jobs and infrastructure program – helped the city build much of the stonework that to this day beautifies Rockefeller Park. Many of the early gardens representing European immigrants were helped along by the WPA.

In more recent decades, gardens representing Asian, African and Middle Eastern countries have been developed, along with the African American Cultural Garden. Gardens in development will represent, Mexico and South American countries, and the Native American community.  As of early 2023, 35 gardens had been established and 11 more were in development.

The Cultural Gardens Federation is the governing body for all its member gardens. It acts as an advocate for the gardens, works to help preserve and promote them, and acts as a liaison between the Gardens, the City of Cleveland, and partner organizations.

CCGF_Imagebanner[1]

The Cleveland Cultural Gardens are aptly named. The statues and inscriptions in the gardens depict significant figures in the world’s cultural history. They represent artists, writers, composers, philosophers, peacemakers, saints and scientists.

In the Italian Garden, for example, you’ll find the poet Dante. In the German Garden, you’ll learn about the writers Goethe and Schiller. Gandhi is in the Indian Garden and Mother Teresa in the Albanian. The Polish Garden features the composer Chopin, the astronomer Copernicus and Marie Curie, the scientist who helped discover radiation and developed x-rays. The composer Franz Liszt is a highlight of the Hungarian Garden. In the Syrian Garden can be found a written history of Arab culture and a replica of the Arch of Palmyra.

The Ethiopian Garden features a mosaic wall depicting aspects of the country’s history and culture. Other gardens feature more abstract or symbolic sculptures.

Learn more on our Frequently Asked Questions page.