The Campus : Ball Gardens Rehabilitation Project

"The enjoyment of scenery employs the mind without fatigue and yet exercises it; tranquilizes it and yet enlivens it; and thus, through the influence of the mind over the body gives the effect of refreshing rest and reinvigoration to the whole system."

–Frederick Law Olmsted

On a grassy, open plot of land near the western edge of the Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis campus, there sits an empty, deteriorated fountain. Apart from a few mature trees, the fountain is the only reminder of a remarkable landscape project that was never fully completed: Ball Nurses' Sunken Garden and Convalescent Park.

Conceived in 1929, the original plans for this 10-acre parcel called for the grandest of landscape designs. There would be lush gardens, serpentine walkways, fountains, and more. With its proximity to the Rotary Convalescent Hospital, the space would offer solitude, fresh air, and exercise to assist in the healing process. It was to be a shining example of what today we call therapeutic greenspace.

Included among the National Register of Historic Places, the space represents an example of therapeutic garden design that disappeared during the 20th century. Of equal historic significance, the site’s design was guided by the firm founded by Frederick Law Olmsted, the father of American landscape architecture and designer of New York’s Central Park and the grounds for Chicago's 1893 World's Columbian Exhibition.

Only parts of the project were completed. One section that did come to fruition showed the great potential of therapeutic landscapes. The sunken garden outside Ball Residence Hall became a beloved space for Indiana University student nurses. The nurses' pinning ceremonies and formal graduations took place there until the 1960s, but it was the greenery, the softly dancing waters of the fountain, and the statue of Eve (known to the nursing students as "Flo") that made the garden a respite from the students' demanding, hectic lives.

As time passed, a lack of funds for proper maintenance, and the encroachment of new buildings, parking lots, and campus roadways had a devastating effect.

Architects have completed a full examination of the site and developed a rehabilitation plan that retains the original design concept with adjustments to the existing conditions. While significant challenges remain before Ball Nurses' Sunken Garden and Convalescent Park can be fully rehabilitated, this new master plan provides for the implementation of the complete plan. Alumni, the schools of nursing, medicine, and dentistry, and the IUPUI chancellor have all committed to providing support to rehabilitate the gardens and park. The time is now at hand to undertake a campaign for the additional financial resources to bring this landscape jewel fully to life.

21st Century Needs

• Ball Nurses’ Sunken Garden

  Stabilize steps, fountain, pergola, and light poles.
  Repair central statue and replace fountain, walkways, benches, and plantings.
  Complete construction of pergola.
  Estimated cost: $1.9 million design and renovation; $650,000 endowment.
  Total: $2.55 million.

• Convalescent Park

  Restore walkways and plantings.
  Estimated cost: $650,000 design and renovation; $50,000 endowment.
  Total: $700,000.

• Rotary Building Forecourt

  Construct fountain centerpiece, benches, plantings, and serpentine walkways.
  Estimated cost: $400,000 design and renovation; $200,000 endowment.
  Total: $600,000.

• The Suite Dreams Project Play Garden at Riley Hospital for Children

  Create a healing play area for children’s use.
  The Suite Dreams Project, a program of the Robbins Foundation, creates healing environments that bring comfort and joy to children affected by serious medical conditions. The Suite Dreams Project has committed to help raise $700,000 in cash, grant funds, and in-kind gifts for the Play Garden.
  Estimated cost: $615,000 design and renovation; $85,000 endowment.
  Total: $700,000.

• Total estimated design, renovation, and endowment cost for the rehabilitation and future maintenance of Ball Nurses' Sunken Garden and Convalescent Park: $4.55 million.

We Need Your Support

Rehabilitating Ball Nurses' Sunken Garden and Convalescent Park will provide greenspace consistent with the medically accepted benefits of therapeutic environments on patient recovery. It will create spaces for relaxation, contemplation, and recreation by the IUPUI campus community, staff, patients, and visitors from Riley Hospital for Children, IU, Wishard, and Veterans Affairs hospitals, and Indianapolis residents. Additionally it will stand as a significant example of early to mid-20th-century therapeutic garden design for study by academics, architects, and historical preservation groups.

The rehabilitation would create a signature downtown Indianapolis landmark, while preserving much-needed natural open space on campus. It would serve as an ideal location for campus events and gatherings, as in the past when IU student nurses' pinning ceremonies and formal graduations were held in the garden. The space will also host concerts by the IU School of Music and other performances.

With your support, Ball Nurses' Sunken Garden and Convalescent Park will be rehabilitated and become, as originally intended nearly 80 years ago, a natural place of respite and healing.