Lake | Flato Architects of San Antonio, Texas specified 2000-3000-year-old River-Recovered® Heart Cypress for use as siding on the new Bok Tower Gardens Alexander Discovery Center and outdoor demonstration kitchen.

Over a century ago, Florida’s “gentle giants” – virgin, ancient and massive bald cypress trees – were logged out and rafted down river to waiting mills to be sawn into lumber.  Many of the densest logs sank to the bottom, where they have been perfectly preserved in a state of low oxidation.  When recovered and milled, they yield a rich patina, and arguably produce some of the most beautiful wood in the world.

Goodwin Company in Micanopy, Florida – originators of the River-Recovered process – milled the heart cypress for this project from logs recovered from the Suwannee, Withlacoochee (northern) and Apalachicola Rivers just last year.  Jeffrey Forbes, Goodwin Company’s resident historian and antique wood expert, will talk about the Bok Tower Gardens project and specifically how to use heart cypress to create masterful designs.  Highlights of his presentation include:

• The Rise of Sustainable Architectural Design
• The Architectural Use of Virgin Growth Cypress
• A History of Florida’s Virgin Bald Cypress Forest
• Logging Practices in 19^th Century Florida

The presentation will also touch on the restoration of the longleaf habitat, something both Bok Tower Gardens and Goodwin Company consider part of their ongoing missions.