Garvan’s newest addition named after lead donors
Garvan Woodland Gardens has officially named its latest feature the Bob and Sunny Evans Tree House, named after its lead donors and longtime supporters of the botanical garden, Robert P. “Bob” and Sunny Evans.
In 2015, Sunny Evans and the estate of her late husband donated $500,000 to the Tree House project, which would be nestled within the Evans Children’s Adventure Garden, also funded by a donation by the Evanses. The soft opening of the Tree House was held on June 30.
The Tree House is suspended within a group of pines and oaks, bending easily between them. The theme of dendrology, or the study of trees and wooded plants, drives both the form and program of the struc-
ture, designed by the Fayetteville-based architecture firm Modus Studio. Part of an ambitious plan to bring children back into the woods, the Tree House uses a rich visual and tactile environment to stimulate the mind and body, while accommodating the needs of all users.
Bob Bledsoe, executive director at Garvan, said in a news release, “It is with great pride that we announce the official name of the Tree House component of the Evans Children’s Adventure Garden, the Bob and Sunny Evans Tree House. I am also proud to say that the project was totally funded by and completed with private donations from just under 350 individuals. This exciting design is receiving interest from around the world, and I am proud that the Evanses entrusted to us the confidence to complete this project.”
The Evanses have a legacy of supporting the University of Arkansas, particularly the garden. In addition to the children’s garden, their prior contributions helped complete the sanctuary within the Anthony Chapel and provided funding for the Evans Groom’s Quarters and the Evans Celebration Garden.
Bob Evans was a member of the university’s Board of Advisors and the Garvan Woodland Gardens Advisory Council before his death in November 2011.
Dean Peter MacKeith, of the Fay Jones School, said in the release, “The opening of the Tree House project — now the Bob and Sunny Evans Tree House at Garvan Woodland Gardens — is the culmination of many years of vision, ambition, creative design and constructive effort by contributors from all corners of the state. The siting, design, construction and purposes of the Tree House together represent perfectly the ideals and mission of the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design. The project is simultaneously a work of architecture, landscape architecture and interior design, but it is more fully a synthetic work of civic benefit to the citizens of Arkansas and the many visitors to the Gardens. The school is deeply grateful to Bob and Sunny Evans and the ‘Tree House Gang,’ in particular, for their faith and commitment to this superb installation — an outdoor classroom for children of all ages to enjoy.”
Becca Ohman, garden director, spearheaded the project that has been years in the planning and making. According to Ohman, “The vision for the Tree House is to allow children to express themselves, to test their limits, and to allow them to engage with nature at the most basic level.” Dendrology is the driving theme behind the form, materials, and program of the structure, which features interpretive learning and artistic elements to aid in teaching the importance of trees in the environment.
The structure consists of four levels, accessible from the ground and an overhead circular boardwalk, and each level is based upon a different part of the tree and its function, allowing visitors an intrinsic, almost subconscious, learning opportunity that builds on the experience. The first, most basic level focuses on the roots of the tree, and is actually below the Tree House in the Root Plaza. As users move into the structure, levels represent the various parts of a tree (trunk, branches, leaves, and fruit/flowers), and each level’s significance in the life cycle of a tree is explained.
Specially treated yellow pine ribs make up the shell encasing the open-air structure, while other elements, such as the unique “Venetian Screen” on the overlook end of the structure, are made from metal. The Root Plaza is made of poured concrete with inlaid tiles, while native Arkansas stone abounds in the surrounding landscape.
The Evans Children’s Adventure Garden, completed in 2006, is best described as a playful area offering 1.5 acres accented with 6.5 million tons of Arkansas-quarried boulders positioned in mazes to encourage exploration of the natural environment. A 12-foot waterfall cascades over the entry to a man-made cave, beckoning children inside to discover ancient “fossils” overhead. The garden also features a unique bridge constructed from “aged” wrought iron “cedar trees” and a series of cascades and wading pools. A 450-footlong circular boardwalk is suspended 20 feet above the forest floor and allows scenic vistas over the garden, Lake Hamilton and the surrounding woodlands.