Four Arts Gardens

The Philip Hulitar Sculpture Garden

A place of tranquility and peace, the Philip Hulitar Sculpture Garden includes 20 sculptures by world renowned artists, some of whom are residents of South Florida. The garden has evolved over time to become an urban oasis with numerous park-like elements. In the mid 2000s, the landscape architecture firm Morgan Wheelock, Inc. added new walkways and plantings, areas of seating, an elegant plaza, a classical garden pavilion, water fountains, and a grand lawn. Other popular features include a palm grove and four pergolas, all of which enhance the presentation of the garden’s modern and contemporary sculptures.

In the late 1960s, The Society of the Four Arts acquired three vacant lots at the corners of Royal Palm Way and Coconut Row with the intentions of creating a garden. The lots remained vacant until 1979 when the Four Arts invited Philip Hulitar, a prominent American couturier and resident of Palm Beach, to design and plan a sculpture garden. The 2.2 acre garden opened to the public in 1980 and was named in honor of Philip Hulitar in 1988.

Four Arts Demonstration Garden

This lush and tropical paradise offers a respite of quiet repose from the busy activities of daily life. The Garden Club of Palm Beach manages and maintains The Four Arts Demonstration Garden. Originally designed in 1938, the demonstration gardens educate residents and visitors about the diversity of plants that thrive in South Florida’s climate. The gardens are divided into themed spaces that reflect popular architectural and planting styles in the area: Chinese Garden, Fragrant Moonlight Garden, Palm Garden, Bromeliad Garden, Jungle Garden, Spanish Facade Garden, Formal Garden, Tropical Garden, and Madonna Garden.

Over the years, the gardens have changed and evolved. They fell into disrepair during World War II, but Richard K. Webel, a landscape architect with the firm of Innocenti & Webel, redesigned the gardens into “small garden rooms” in the mid-1950s. Fifty years later, Hurricanes Frances and Jeanne roared through Palm Beach County and Hurricane Wilma caused further damage in 2005. The Four Arts used these weather events as an opportunity to create a new vision for the Botanical Gardens by adjoining them to the Philip Hulitar Sculpture Garden. With the assistance of Garden Club members, landscape architect Morgan Wheelock designed a new garden that opened in 2007. To learn even more about the gardens, please contact the Garden Club of Palm Beach at (561) 837-6635.

Self-Guided Walking Tour

Explore the Sculpture Garden at your own pace on a self-guided Walking Tour. Complimentary walking tour guide pamphlets are available at the garden entrances just south of the King Library and across from the Dixon Building. The guide is also available as an easy to use web-based tour on your personal smart device at fourarts.stqry.app.

Tips and Guidelines

The Four Arts Gardens are outdoor galleries and museum behavior and etiquette is expected of all guests when visiting.

• Children must be accompanied by an adult at all times.
• Stay on the pathways for your safety as well as the safety of the plants and sculptures.
• Running and horseplay is strictly prohibited.
• Sporting activities along with bicycles, skateboards, and motorized transportation are prohibited.
• Guests are not permitted to touch any of the sculptures. This includes leaning or climbing on them.
• Please do not pick, cut, or disturb the plants, insects, and wildlife in the garden.
• Food and drink may be enjoyed in the gardens, and picnicking is allowed on the furniture.
• Please dispose of trash in the proper receptacles.
• Smoking (including e-cigarettes) and alcohol is prohibited.
• Please do not bring pets in the gardens.