Cleveland Cultural Gardens Federation

History
The Cleveland Cultural Gardens are one of the City of Cleveland’s many parks. This two hundred fifty four acre tranquil ravine like setting that spans two miles between University Circle, Cleveland’s renowned cultural center, and Lake Erie is known as Rockefeller Park. As suggested by the name, the land was donated to the City by John D. Rockefeller in 1896 as a part of the celebration of the City’s first centennial. The Park was designed by prominent landscape architect Ernest W. Bowditch.

The Gardens evolved during the early 1900s. The Shakespeare Garden was the first to be built in 1916. Ten years later, Leo Weidenthal, editor and publisher of the Jewish Independent, conceived the idea of a garden chain that would represent the many cultures of the world and stand as a symbol of brotherhood. Under the leadership of Weidenthal and President Charles Wolfram, the Federation was formed and the Gardens entered a long period of growth. The Hebrew Garden became the first garden to be established. The Shakespeare Garden eventually became the British Garden, and many more followed. The Gardens were developed as a joint effort between Cleveland’s ethnic communities, the City of Cleveland and the Federal Government – namely the Work Progress Administration. This is one of the aspects that sets this park aside as a historically significant place; it is a living memorial to the role WPA played in the recent US history and to the notion of multi nationalism that was surfacing at the time. This cultural diversity has been the foundation of Cleveland and of this Country. Therein lies the significance of the theme of the Gardens “Peace through mutual understanding” as stated by Clara Lederer in her book about the Gardens “Their Paths are Peace”, published in 1954.


Over sixty busts and statues are located in the Gardens, depicting significant personalities in our collective history. Astronomer Copernicus who defined the composition of the solar system, Madame Curie who identified radiation and developed the medical use of x-ray, Tesla who developed AC current and thus “lit the world” with ability to transmit electricity over long distances are some of the examples. Many notable musicians are depicted including Antonin Dvorak, Bedrich Smetana, Chopin, Liszt and more are honored throughout the Gardens. And of course writers and philosophers ranging from Shakespeare to Gandhi, Goethe and Schiller. Many of the art pieces were the product of Cleveland born artist of Czech descent Frank Jirouch.
The Cleveland Cultural Gardens Federation is the representative organization of the Cultural Gardens set to provide a direct link between the Cultural Gardens and the individual ethnic communities they represent. The Federation has been instrumental in preservation and development of the Gardens, as well as maintaining public awareness and interest in the Cleveland Cultural Gardens.

The Federation is involved with most aspects of this unique park, however the Cultural Gardens are a City of Cleveland park and arrangements for use of any of the Gardens for events such as weddings or other celebrations must be made through City of Cleveland, Office of Special Events 216-664-2484.

The Cleveland Cultural Gardens are located along Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd and the adjacent East Blvd. from St. Clair Avenue to the south in Cleveland, Ohio, USA. This string of 26 nationality gardens is unique to Cleveland, Ohio and for that matter unique to this Country and the World. Various nationalities that call Cleveland home have collaborated in development of their respective garden to memorialize and share with the World their culture and history. Thus, this unique park is a great educational tool, as well as a great place to relax, enjoy nature in the midst of a city, walk or ride a bike, see statues of significant personalities or depictions of far away lands. Addition of new gardens is anticipated in the near future as plans are being currently developed.