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Nielsen's Grove Park, dubbed by city officials as "the crown jewel" of Orem's park system when the grand opening was held two years ago, is about to be glimmer with the installation of a bronze statue of Danish immigrant Jorgen Nielsen, the man for whom the park was named.
The unveiling of the statue of Nielsen, founder of the pioneer-era Lakeview Gardens and Nursery, commonly known as Nielsen's Grove, is set for today at 2 p.m. near the north entrance of the park, located at 1931 S. Sandhill Road.
Edith Dusenberry, a descendant of Jorgen Nielsen, is scheduled to speak and help with the statue's unveiling.
The park's museum, built as a replica of Nielsen's farm house, will be open to the public for tours today from 2 to 4 p.m. Today's Nielsen's Grove Park is in the same location as the original garden that became a popular recreation spot in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
"We certainly invite everyone to come and see the statue, and to enjoy the park this summer," said Asa Nielsen, current chairwoman of Orem's Historic Preservation Commission, an organization that played a key role in rediscovering, researching and planning the park.
The park's design incorporates many of the features of the original Nielsen's Grove, including a circular fountain, flower gardens, a reflecting pool, picnic arbors and a unique, man-powered swing.
Marvin Nelson of Mapleton is the sculptor who created the statue. The design was chosen from several ideas submitted by Nelson, with the Orem City Council giving final approval to the concept recommended by the Historic Preservation Commission.
The statue depicts a kneeling Jorgen Nielsen, holding a shovel and a plant ready to be set in the soil. Nielsen was the "designer, developer and proprietor" of Nielsen's Grove, and he cared for the property himself -- clearing the land and laying out the gardens, according to a history written by Nancy Calkins, a landscape historian who studied the site.
The $13,700 work of art has been paid for through a grant from Orem's Cultural Arts and Recreation Enrichment (CARE) tax funds. The installation, the base and maintenance costs will come from the city's budget.
The idea for the statue arose when the commission was considering its upcoming restoration of Jorgen Nielsen's ice house, said Asa Nielsen.
"Someone suggested the [Jorgen] Nielsen statue, and we started to talk about it. There was the grant, and the ideas submitted, and we chose the one which we felt best portrayed him," she said. "It was a joint venture by everyone."
"I think we always wanted [the statue]," said Tamara Beardall, who, along with Sarah Wilcox, has been the city's clerical support for the Historic Preservation Commission. "It needs to be in that park, because that park's about Jorgen."
"Learning about it and researching it, I think it's a good fit," said Wilcox of the statue. "It makes (the park) complete. You can put a face with the park -- it personifies it." |
