Norfolk Botanical Gardens

These gardens were conceived by City Manager Thomas Thompson during the Great Depression. His idea was executed by city gardener Frederic Heutte; noted landscape architect Charles F. Gillette served as a consultant. In 1938 about 200 black women were paid with Works Progress Administration funds to clear and plant the first 25 acres. The first phase of the gardens, which now occupy 175 acres and include landscaped vistas, arboretums, and special display areas, were their creation.