 His azalea gardens first opened to the public in 1946, but in the mid-1950s they were destroyed by very cold weather.The area was subsequently closed to the public and maintained on a very limited scale.It was then bequeathed by Nelda C. Stark to the Nelda C. and H. J. Lutcher Stark Foundation (established 1961), which has been working to restore the botanical gardens and create a nature center.