History of the Gardens

“We are to have 1000 acres of park land, $3,500 a year for plants, and $90,000 for a building, to house library, auditorium, museum, art gallery, and conservatory. Now, if we have the brains, we shall astonish the world.”
—Willard Nelson Clute, 1869-1950

1922  

Butler purchased the land, formerly the location of Fairview Park, in 1922. Fairview Park was an amusement park that also served as a space for public recreation, public health, and respite from industrial and urban development. By purchasing this property, Butler retained its role as a green space for recreation and wellness.  

1928-1938  

The Botanical Gardens at Butler University were established in 1928, the same year that two of the campus’s original buildings—Jordan Hall and Hinkle Fieldhouse—were constructed. The gardens were designed and planted under the leadership of botanist, American Fern Society cofounder, and Butler Professor, Dr. Willard Nelson Clute. In 1929, Clute reported to Butler President Robert Aley that the garden contained more than 10,000 plants representing 1,000 species. Upon his retirement from Butler in 1938, Clute went on to direct the new Holliday Park Botanical Garden, in Indianapolis.  

1938-1948  

Butler’s gardens were managed by dedicated stewards including Scott McCoy, who received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Butler University, and Butler students.  

1948-1952  

The next iteration of the gardens was designed, financed, and established through a collaboration between James Irving Holcomb, a business leader, philanthropist, and Butler Board of Directors Vice President, and Arthur F. Lindberg, Butler’s Superintendent of Campus and Grounds. The new gardens featured a reflecting pool centered around Persephone, a bronze sculpture by Parisian sculptor Armand Toussaint. Holcomb and Lindburg used many of the plant species curated by Clute but rearranged them, as they found the original gardens disorderly. The gardens were rededicated as the James Irving Holcomb Botanical Gardens in 1950. The Garden House, also donated by James Irving Holcomb, was completed in 1952.  

1952-2020  

Holcomb Gardens served as a beloved campus space and free public park with many thousands of visitors each year and was an especially popular location for engagement photographs and family portraits.  

2021  

Due to plant theft, destruction, and staffing shortages during COVID-19, the gardens were temporarily sodded over.  

2023-2024  

In partnership with the Indiana Native Plant Society (INPS) and with the financial support of grantors and donors, Butler University planted the third iteration of the gardens on September 30, 2024, with native species.  

2025-Present 

Thanks to a generous grant from the Indianapolis Garden Club and the design work of Jacob Gretencord, Butler’s Manager of Grounds and Landscaping, the 13th and final bed was restored. 

These 13 beds are now maintained by the Friends of Holcomb Gardens volunteer program.