Sunken Garden, Fish Pond and Waterfall

In the center of the grotto grounds, there is a sunken fern garden with fish pond. When it was built in 1934, the pond covered the entire sunken area. Leaks which developed in the 1950s forced a reconstruction of the pond, now reduced to the smaller metal tank seen in the photo.

A crooked bridge of stone and concrete flies over the sunken garden, in apparent defiance of structural stability. The bridge takes us to the War Memorial, and offers a bit of an overview of this part of the park.

Several lighthouses and pillared planters were added to the pond after it was built. The smaller lighthouse and water wheel were added by Edmund Rybicki, Father Wagner's successor as grotto builder and caretaker.