THE HISTORY OF THE GARDEN – 50 YEARS IN THE MAKING Derrek Hanson, Director of Events and Visitor Services
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joined the Red Butte Garden family 17 years ago. Since that time, I have witnessed the Garden grow from 3,000 members to over 10,000. Private event rentals have doubled. The concert series, which boasted nine shows in 2001, jumped to 30 shows in 2017. Garden visitation has increased by over one hundred percent from FY 01/02 to FY 16/17. The Garden has become so many things to so many people…it is a place where memories are made, a place to heal, a place to learn, a place to celebrate, a place to contemplate, it has become a respite on the edge of an ever-changing and vibrant city. I recently read a quote from David Boorstin, former Librarian of Congress, wherein he stated that “trying to plan the future without a sense of the past is like trying to plant cut flowers.” We are certainly not in the business of planting cut flowers, and for such a young garden we already have a rich and fascinating history to draw from to guide the bright future ahead of us. The Garden’s story begins with Dr. Walter P. Cottam, founding father of The State Arboretum of Utah, a pioneer in the conservation movement, and co-founder of what is now The Nature Conservancy. Dr. Cottam joined the University of Utah as
a botany professor in 1931. Shortly after joining the University, he began planting native plants in what became known as Cottam’s Gulch, at a site near President’s Circle, and began collecting trees and shrubs from around the country to evaluate them for use in Utah landscapes. Additionally, he proceeded to spend the next 30 years planting new and unusual trees throughout campus. Dr. Cottam was an outspoken preservationist, in 1947 he received national attention for his now famous but then controversial lecture titled: “Is Utah Sahara Bound?” wherein he stressed the importance of conserving water, soil, plant resources, and spoke out against overgrazing in fragile Western States. This lecture is still referenced in many Environmental Studies courses. In 1961, Dr. Cottam was instrumental in lobbying the Utah state legislature to designate the University of Utah campus as a state arboretum. The original legislation mandated that the arboretum “provide resources and facilities for cultivating a greater knowledge and public appreciation for the trees and plants around us, as well as those growing in remote sections of the country and world.” Shortly after the designation of the University of Utah campus as a State Arboretum, Dr. Cottam www.redbuttegarden.org
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retired from the University of Utah but continued his work on an extensive study of oak hybridization by combining two different species of oak to recreate a naturally occurring hybrid that was discovered in the local foothills. Cottam was the first person in the nation to cross two species of oak from two different sections of the genus. The oak leaf sculpture located outside of the Visitor Center near the entrance to the Herb Garden symbolizes Cottam’s oak hybridization research. In 1961 The University of Utah campus was designated a State Arboretum by the State of Utah in recognition of Dr. Cottam's work and research. Many of the tree species from his original study are still alive today in an area west of our Amphitheatre that we affectionately call Cottam’s Grove. Today, the Garden’s horticulture staff maintain the collection of trees and collect the acorns each season to fulfill requests for our oak hybrid acorns from other gardens and researchers from around the world. In 1968, the Federal Government donated “surplus” land from Fort Douglas to the University of Utah. Richard (Dick) Hildreth became the first Director of the State Arboretum in 1977. Between 1977 and 1983, Ezekiel (Zeke) R. Dumke. Jr. and Dick Hildreth led efforts to encourage the University of Utah to commit approximately 150 acres of the “surplus” land it received from Fort Douglas at the mouth of Red Butte Canyon for a botanic garden. The University of Utah ultimately dedicated and broke ground on the current site and the Garden officially opened to the public in 1984. The original
entrance was in the lower Garden near our current Amphitheatre entrance. Don and Beverly Sudbury, two of the Garden’s earliest and longest serving volunteers, began planting a variety of daylilies and other perennials along the west bank of the Water Pavilion pond.
Volunteers Don and Beverly Sudbury
From the inception of the botanic garden, the late Zeke Dumke was an instrumental and creative force in its development. His quiet, but thoughtful comments, suggestions and foresight throughout the years helped make the Garden what it is today. His knack for looking over construction plans and spotting things that architects and designers might glaze over was incomparable. He was involved in almost every aspect of the Garden’s growth. It was Zeke Dumke, in a Red Butte Garden board meeting in 1986, who first suggested the idea of an amphitheater to host cultural performances and concerts as a potential revenue stream for the Garden. To test this theory, the first official “Concert Series” occurred in 1987. The series was comprised of four Sunday concerts featuring local acts on a lawn area just west of the R. Harold Burton Water Pavilion where our McCarthey
1961 – The State Legislature designates the University of Utah campus as a State Arboretum 1931 – Dr. Walter P. Cottam joins the University of Utah as a professor of Botany
1931-1958 – Cottam plants and catalogs new and unusual trees on campus
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Red Butte Garden
1968 – The University of Utah is granted “surplus” land from Fort Douglas
1962 – Cottam retires from the University of Utah
1977 – Richard Hildreth is named the first Director of the State Arboretum.
Rose Garden currently sits. The concert series was well-received and has continued in varying forms ever since. Zeke’s vision of a performance space as a revenue generator has certainly come to fruition. Over time, the Red Butte Garden Outdoor Concert Series has become a vital part of the Garden’s financial structure. As the Garden is largely self-supporting, the concert series became a critically important way for the Garden to meet rising costs, add the staff necessary to maintain the Garden, and to fund general operational expenses. It was around the time of the first concerts that the official name was changed from The State Arboretum of Utah, to Red Butte Garden and Arboretum. In 1990, Mary Pat Matheson, who had worked in the horticulture department at the garden since 1982, became its second Executive Director. That same year, an official amphitheater was constructed, as were just over four miles of hiking trails in the Garden’s Natural Area. Red Butte Garden broke ground on a new Visitor Center, Courtyard, Floral Walk and Four Seasons Garden in 1993 with the plan to move the Garden’s entrance to its current location at the top of Wakara Way. The new Visitor Center opened in 1994 and was dedicated to the man who touched so many with his love of plants. It was appropriately named the Walter P. Cottam Visitor Center and was funded in large part by the George S. and Dolores Dore Eccles Foundation. With the opening of the new Visitor Center, the Garden began charging admission.
1983 – The University of Utah dedicates and breaks ground on the current site of the Garden
1982 – The first Greenhouse was built and a study was conducted to determine the exact site of the Botanic Garden
1986 – Zeke Dumke suggests the idea of an amphitheater as a revenue stream
1984 – Red Butte Garden officially opens to the public
Three new themed gardens collectively known as the Terrace Gardens opened in 1996. These gardens include the Ruth P. Eccles Herb Garden which was funded The Terrace Garden under construction by the Willard Eccles Foundation, the Fragrance Garden funded by the R. Harold Burton Foundation, and the Dr. Ezekiel and Edna Dumke Medicinal Garden which was funded by Zeke and Kay Dumke and named in honor of Zeke’s parents. The Children’s Garden, which opened in 1999, was the next themed garden built. The opening of this garden was extremely successful. Roughly 4,000 visitors attended the grand opening and it contributed to a fifty percent increase in Garden memberships after its opening. The next major project was the construction of the Richard K. Hemingway Orangerie which opened in 2002 as an indoor space for public and private events. It opened just in time for the 2002 Winter Olympics and was booked solid for three full weeks for Olympic festivities and events. It is traditional for weddings, receptions, and many of life’s other memorable events to take place in a garden setting, but prior to the opening of the Orangerie, the Garden did not have an indoor space for these
1990 – Mary Pat Matheson became the second Executive Director
1987 – First “Concert Series” – Four Sunday concerts featuring local acts
1993 – Red Butte Garden breaks ground on a new visitor center and moved the Garden’s entrance to its current location
1990 – An official amphitheater is constructed, as are four miles of hiking trails in what is now the Natural Area
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events. There was no “rain plan” if the weather turned. With the construction of the Orangerie, Red Butte Garden finally had a facility with everything needed in a proper rental venue. Today, the Orangerie hosts over 200 public and private events each year. Friday and Saturday nights are often booked a year in advance! In 2003, Dr. Gregory Lee became the Garden’s third Executive Director. That year, 11,000 square feet of stateof-the-art greenhouse space was constructed. Two-thousand-three was also the year the Garden began planting a spring bulb display. The plantings began in the Four Seasons Garden and have been spreading annually throughout other areas of the Garden ever since. With the addition of the new greenhouses, there was a need for a support building where soil mixing, potting and other related activities take place. In 2005, with another generous gift from Zeke and Kay Dumke, the Katherine W. and Ezekiel R. Dumke Headhouse opened. The Headhouse included soil and mulch bays, office space, a restroom for the greenhouse staff, and a staging area for staff and volunteers to mix soil, make cuttings, and plant seeds.
1996 – Terrace Gardens open - Herb, Medicinal & Fragrance Gardens
The Red Butte Garden Outdoor Concert Series became extremely popular in the early 2000s. This created a series of pleasant problems for the Garden, all related to growth in a venue not designed to accommodate this level of success. We did not have permanent restrooms for our patrons. Many long-time concert goers will remember the row of port-a-potties that were brought in for each concert. The stage was small and the canopy was temporary. We didn’t have a loading dock for performers to unload equipment. And the grading of the amphitheater was problematic with some steep and uncomfortable areas and obstructed views. Thanks to the support of many community donors, in 2007 the Garden broke ground on a new Amphitheatre and Rose Garden project. The new Amphitheatre opened in 2008, just in time for concert season. The McCarthey Family Rose Garden opened in 2009. The first show in the new venue was Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis. The Amphitheatre project expanded the number of seats available for concerts from 2,500 to 3,000. The customer experience improved with the addition of permanent restrooms, a re-graded lawn area which made seating more comfortable and improved sight lines. The new permanent stage made load in and out much easier, and the addition of the George S. and Dolores Dore Eccles Terrace allowed us to offer new sponsorship opportunities and donor seating. All of this made it easier to pursue larger production acts that were previously not willing to perform at the Garden.
2002 – The Richard K. Hemingway Orangerie opens as a space for private events.
1994 – The Walter P. Cottom 1999 – Children’s Garden opens Visitor Center officially opens along with the Courtyard, Floral Walk and Four Seasons gardens
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Red Butte Garden
2005 – Zeke and Katherine Dumke Headhouse opens
2003 – Dr. Gregory Lee becomes the new Executive Director, 11,000 square feet of new greenhouse space is constructed, Bulb Display plantings begin
2007 – Break ground on the Rose Garden and a new (and current) Amphitheatre
In 2010 the Visitor Center was expanded to house administrative and program staff who were formerly housed in rented facilities offsite. At the same time our giftshop was expanded to double its retail floor space. In 2013, the Martha Ann Healy Rose House opened. It serves as an additional rental space and as the “green room” for concert performers. The same year, Red Butte Garden was recognized as an official Daffodil Display Garden by the American Daffodil Society. We now have a stunning living display of over 460,000 bulbs and have plans to expand that number each year moving forward. In 2017, the Garden opened what is anticipated to be its flagship themed garden, the Water Conservation Garden. At roughly three acres, it is our largest and most mission-driven garden project. This garden is designed to be both beautiful and educational, demonstrating to Utah residents how they can have an attractive landscape without heavy water use. Additionally, Red Butte Garden was recognized as a reference garden by the American Conifer Society in 2017. We broke ground on a new horticulture facility that same year. The new, 15,000 square foot, Kay and Zeke Dumke, Jr. Horticulture Operations Center opened this past spring. It is a welcome replacement to the worn out double-wide trailer that previously housed our horticulture staff.
2008 – The new Amphitheater opens
2013 – The Martha Ann Healy Rose House opens as an additional rental space and as the “green room” for concert performers 2010 – Visitor Center and Giftshop are expanded.
It is no accident that there are two portraits hanging in the Visitor Center lobby – one of Dr. Walter P. Cottam and one of Ezekiel R. Dumke, Jr. It is as if they are quietly looking over their legacy. Today, Red Butte Garden and Arboretum carries on their legacy and vision for the Garden by providing a living museum committed to connecting people to plants and the beauty of living landscapes. This vision could not have been fulfilled without the generous help and support from the community donating their resources and time. Red Butte Garden owes a debt of gratitude to all who have contributed to the garden’s evolution from a biology professor’s research sandbox to the world-class destination that it is today. These generous community partners include foundations, individual sponsors and donors, members, and over 450 active volunteers. We thank them and our dedicated staff. It has been 50 years since the land was set aside for a Botanic Garden and Arboretum. From all of us at Red Butte Garden, we look forward to what the next fifty years has in store for this iconic institution.
2017 – Water Conservation Garden opens
2016 – Break ground on new Water Conservation Garden
2009 – The McCarthey Family Rose Garden opens 2013 – Red Butte Garden is recognized as an official Daffodil Display Garden by the American Daffodil Society
2017 – Red Butte Garden is recognized as a reference garden for the American Conifer Society’s Western Region
2018 – A new Horticulture building is completed
2017 – Break ground on new Horticulture building
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