By VICKI URBANIK

The Porter County Parks Department has finalized the acquisition of a 22-acre site in Pine Township described as a meticulously designed arboretum bursting with unique plant life, history and whimsy.

“Beautiful” was the one word that Parks Superintendent Ed Melendez used to describe to the property The Brincka-Cross Gardens on East Furness Road. The park board closed on the property on Monday for a purchase price of about $500,000.

Most recently maintained by a trust, the property had been owned by the late William Brincka and Basil Cross. Brincka was a buyer for the Chicago Arts Society who did much of the garden design, having worked closely with the Morton Arboretum in Illinois.

Brincka’s and Cross’ goal was to keep the property maintained as an arboretum. The property had been willed to a private trust, which last year began a search for a proper buyer, Melendez said.

As a county park unit, the site holds great opportunities for education and tourism, Melendez said. Talks have already taken place with several universities that would like to have their professors or graduate students study the grounds. The trust that has been overseeing the property will continue to work with the park department in an advisory capacity, with plans underway to establish a new not-for-profit organization that will help obtain grants and other support for the proper care of the new park. The park will likely feature guided tours.

“Our heads are spinning here,” Melendez said of the opportunities.

Of the 22 acres, about 15 consist of a botanical garden that boasts more than 60 different varieties of hybrid hostas. Other plant life includes six to ten foot tall rododendrum, azaleas, hybrid day lilies, weeping junipers and a variety of hollies.

Melendez said beautiful walkways take visitors through the various gardens. One garden, called the “tickle garden,” consists of tall grassses.

The property includes a turn-of-the-century English American barn and a house with an attached greenhouse. The carefully designed house includes trim from the old Chicago Mercantile Exchange, with windows throughout that give a good view of the gardens outdoors.

A 1971 Chicago Tribune story focused on the home, which the story called the Environment House. The story described the house as a glass cage that merges nature and shelter, with a particular focus on the homemade and unique design elements. The story identified Cross at that time as a buyer of antiques for Marshall Field & Co. who also headed the store’s interior design gallery. Brincka was teaching design at the Art Institute, according to the story.

Melendez said the park department needs to find just the right people who can help nurture the new park. “We know we have our hands full,” he said.

Posted 4/27/2007