Campus Landmark to be Re-Introduced

(Rendering provided by IUPUI)

Officials will rededicate a historic landmark Tuesday on the IUPUI campus. The restored Ball Nurses Sunken Garden covers nearly 10 acres and was originally conceived in 1929 by the firm founded by the architect behind New York’s Central Park.

The space has fallen into disrepair over the years and the university says it is the only urban Olmsted Brothers-planned garden and park designed for therapeutic and healing purposes remaining in the United States today. It features brick walkways, grassy fields and a bronze "Eve" sculpture.

Chancellor Nasser Paydar says "the fact that Ball Garden has blossomed so beautifully following its restoration stands as a symbol of the spirit and strength of the IUPUI community. Our alumni and friends worked tirelessly to see this garden restored, and we are grateful to them for their tenacity and heart."

The landmark is named for George and Frank Ball of Muncie, who donated $500,000 around a century ago to build a home for nurses of a children’s hospital named for well-known Hoosier author Jame Whitcomb Riley. At the time, the donation from the brothers of Ball Canning Co. and Ball State University fame was the largest-ever at the Indiana University Medical School in Indianapolis.

The spot has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1996.

The public festivities are set to begin at 2 p.m. and feature officials including Paydar, IU President Michael McRobbie and School of Nursing Dean Robin Newhouse.