CANANDAIGUA – Sonnenberg Gardens & Mansion State Historic Park has recently completed phase I and II of the restoration work of its Victorian Rockery Garden – or “Rock Garden,” as it is often called. The restoration work included revitalization and plantings in the entrance and Summer House gardens plus a “bog” area restoration project lead by Tim Stryker through a Boy Scouts of America Eagle Scout effort. This work was funded largely through a $10,000 grant by the California based Stanley Smith Horticultural Trust foundation.
The next phase of restoration for the Victorian Rockery focuses on its waterways including pools, waterfalls, and running water. As the funding for this effort has been secured plus the appropriate engineering/archaeological surveys and architectural drawings are completed, this effort is scheduled to begin after Labor Day 2019. Contract bids for this work will be accepted this summer.
Sonnenberg Gardens & Mansion State Historic Park is one of America’s longest surviving estates from the Victorian Era. The elegant Queen Anne-style mansion was built in 1887 in Canandaigua by New York City financier Frederick Ferris Thompson, and his wife, Mary Clark Thompson, as a summer home. Between 1901 and 1920, the widowed Mrs. Thompson created the nine formal gardens as a tribute to the places she and Frederick had traveled to or had always wanted to visit. The grounds are open to the public from May 1 through October 31 each year. Sonnenberg is a non-profit organization dependent upon the support of members, sponsors, and its dedicated corps of volunteers. For more information, contact Marketing Director Kimberly Burkard or Executive Director David Hutchings at 585-394-4922.