Untermyer Gardens

About

The Untermyer Park and Gardens, built between 1916-1940, was a true labour of love by lawyer and passionate horticulturalist Samuel J. Untermyer. And as Untermyer was fiercely competitive, he also required that his gardens surpass those of John D. Rockefeller, who lived nearby. Since America had no formal garden tradition of its own, Untermyer took inspiration from great garden designs of empires past. The lush Walled Gardens are an ode to Indo-Persian antiquity with their crenelated towers, and waterways inside divide it into the Four Gardens of Eden mentioned in the Qur'an and the Bible. Within the garden itself, many of the elements are more Greek influenced, such as the fountains and Ionic columns with Mycenaean motifs. Head to the Temple of Love for a beautiful view over a rocky terrace, or the Overlook to gaze across the Hudson River Region.