and opened as a city park in 1950. Around 1946, ideas came up for a rose garden at Columbus City Hall. The idea never became a reality, but the movement toward a rose park began. In 1951 members of the Columbus Rose Club and the Central Ohio Rose Society formed a committee to create the park, which was established April 19, 1952. At this time, the Columbus Rose Commission, a committee of eleven members, began advising the parks department regarding the Park of Roses. The design was led by the department's superintendent Ray S. Dietz and landscape architects Eugene A. Rosebrook, and George B. Tobey, Jr. and occupied 13.5 acres of Whetstone Park, which at the time was the largest park in Columbus at 100 acres. The garden was designed be a self-supporting, fenced-in space with durable structures and wide enough pathways for landscaping machinery. The Park of Roses was to have 50,000 roses, with varieties that would appeal to rosarians and the public. The four gardens in the plan allowed enough size and variety to prompt return visits. 2,000 hybrid teas were planted in autumn 1952, though most planting was in late March to April 1953. The park opened to the public on June 6, 1953, following all the paths and gardens laid out, and enclosed by a fence. At this time, the garden had 20,000 plants. The park hosted the National Convention of the American Rose Society and was officially dedicated on September 12 during the event. By 1956, the park had 32,000 plants and 425 varieties. At this time, it had a flowering crab apple collection, with proposed lilac and children's gardens to be installed. In 1952, the American Rose Society headquarters moved from Hartford, Connecticut to Columbus. The new headquarters included the largest rose library in the world. The Heritage Garden was opened in 1985. The Park of Roses Foundation was created in February 1986 to manage donations to the park, after harsh winters in the mid-1970s killed almost half its bushes. The park was not a part of AmeriFlora '92, an international floral show in Columbus in 1992. The Park of Roses and Ohio State Fair were considered reasons why the show was unsuccessful, as the park is free and the fair charged $5 admission. See also List of parks in Columbus, Ohio References External links Website by the Columbus Park of Roses Foundation City