George Drake and his wife Mary Ann founded BRGP in 1981 as a nursery where developmentally challenged kids like their son David could learn horticultural skills.

In the early nineties, Drake recognized the appeal that art could add to the garden, and opened the park to exhibits by local artists.

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Drake hosted various exhibits, often with work for sale on consignment. Some pieces sold, but many simply stayed in the park via discounted purchases or outright donations.

 

In 1993, the City of Bellingham bought the park and the surrounding 11 acres from Drake, and in 1998 the 2.5 acre nursery portion became a public sculpture garden, which we now know as the city's Big Rock Garden Park.

 

In 2019 the park received  4 additional works by sculptor David Marshall from his estate. These formed the basis of the "Marshall Gallery" section, along the western side of the park.

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During much of the time the space has been a city park, there has been a more or less informal group of hardy volunteers who have worked hard to maintain the plantings and sculptures of the park: The Friends of Big Rock Garden Park.

 

This group operated under the authority of the City of Bellingham, being trained Park Stewards under the existing Park Steward program.

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In 2025 this informal group registered as a non-profit corporation, in order to better serve as advocates for and workers in the garden, and in order to be able to raise and spend money and other donations directly in the park. The members are still also Park Stewards, as required by the city, but are also members of the 501(c)(3).