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Tryon Fine Arts Center is excited to share that long awaited repairs to the lovely Greene Corner gazebo and walkway on Melrose Avenue are underway.

The park was given to the Town of Tryon in 1985 by Elsa Greene and dedicated to her mother, Katherine Kirby, a life-long patron of the arts. Greene Corner is maintained by Tryon Fine Arts Center.  Funding for its upkeep is provided by the Kirby Endowment Fund at Polk County Community Foundation.

Robert Lange, local historian and Melrose Avenue resident, shared in a recent conversation about the park, that in 1908 the house shown in the photo was built where Greene Corner is today. To the rear, the home was flanked by vineyards, which were removed long ago and replaced by the homes of Lyncourt Drive.

The large home graced the top of what was once called Library Hill. Its porches were supported with several large wooden pillars. Some of the pillars from the home were saved when the dilapidated house was torn down and now serve to support the park’s gazebo which is surrounded by blush red camellia blossoms each winter.

The gazebo pillars at Greene Corner have withstood the elements for decades.  Says TFAC Executive Director Marianne Carruth, “TFAC’s neighbors and local residents have expressed strong desire to maintain these pieces of local architectural history.  We are grateful to the Community Foundation for their support for repairs to preserve the structure for years to come.”

For more information about Greene Corner or Tryon Fine Arts Center, please visit www.tryonarts.org or call 828-859-8322, Tuesday – Friday 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. 

Submitted by Debra Torrence