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Sculptures
Gazebo in Rose Garden Gazebo
William H. & Agnes Metzger Ball built one of the first homes in what became known as Westwood, a housing development in west Muncie.  Mrs. Ball took great joy in the beautiful and extensive garden which was located behind the home.  She filled it with lovely statuary, flowers and shrubs.

In 1939, the Balls attended the World's Fair in New York.  There they saw a wrought iron gazebo which was designed by an artist working for the Nashville Foundry in Nashville, Tennessee.  The gazebo won first place in the category, "Best Cast Iron Work of Art," at the fair. 

After the fair, Mr. and Mrs. Ball purchased the gazebo and brought it to Muncie, where it was the focal point of their garden.  About 1960, the Balls moved to a new home in the Indianapolis suburb of Golden Hills.  They had the gazebo dismantled and relocated in the garden of that home.  It remained there until Mrs. Ball's death in 1984, when it was bequeathed to Minnetrista.

The gazebo was restored in 1989 by Mofab Inc. of Anderson, Indiana.  It was sandblasted to remove old paint and rust.  A new zinc roof was added to the structure.  Broken components were replaced and the gazebo was given a new coat of rust-proof paint.

The wrought iron gazebo is octagonal measuring 9' x 9' x 10' at its widest point.  Six of the panels are 48" x 10' and are intricate in design with leaf motif.  Above the panels is a cone shaped frame which rises four feet to a peak.  At the top of the peak is a glove or ball on which a large eagle is perched.  The overall height of the gazebo is 15-16' high.  Two of the side panels have 3 foot arches cut for entrance into the structure.  There are wooden benches attached to all six side panels.  

The gazebo now sits to the south of Minnetrista Cultural Center in the Rose Garden.  Ball Brothers Foundation provided funds for the restoration and the creation of the present garden which has two parts: one of Victorian era roses and the other of modern-era hybrid tea roses.  Roses were planted in the spring of 1991 and the garden was dedicated in the spring of 1992.



Old Picture
A History of CraftsmanshipDid you know the Ball Brothers moved from Buffalo, New York to Muncie, Indiana in 1887? Minnetrista is part of their family legacy. Read More >
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