Garfield Park Conservatory Chicago : One of the biggest greenhouse conservatories in the country is the Garfield Park Conservatory in Chicago’s Garfield Park. The Garfield Park Conservatory, which is frequently referred to as “landscape art under glass,” spans about 4.5 acres (18,000 m2) both inside and out and is home to a number of permanent plant exhibits that feature specimens from all over the world, including some cycads that are more than 200 years old.
The Garfield Park Conservatory offers large horticultural collections, educational activities, and community engagement initiatives, alongside the Lincoln Park Conservatory on Chicago’s north side.
| Established | 1880s, present structure 1908 |
|---|---|
| Location | 300 N. Central Park Avenue Chicago, Illinois, United States 60624 |
| Director | Mary Eysenbach |
Timing Hours
| Day | Time slot | |
|---|---|---|
| Sunday: | 10:00 am-5:00 pm | |
| Monday: | Closed | |
| Tuesday: | Closed | |
| Wednesday: | 10:00 am-8:00 pm | |
| Thursday: | 10:00 am-5:00 pm | |
| Friday: | 10:00 am-5:00 pm | |
| Saturday: | 10:00 am-5:00 pm |
Overview
The third-largest glass-enclosed garden in the world is located in Chicago’s Garfield Park Conservatory, one of the city’s most intriguing locations. This community-run conservatory is home to a variety of plants that are spread over 12 acres of outdoor and indoor gardens. In addition to being a botanical teaching facility, this location also houses an art collection. A few additional tropical flora and beautiful palms are protected by the Palm House. The Fern Room has a lagoon within, luxuriant ferns, and rock outcroppings. One of the planet’s oldest plant species, the palm-like cycad, is also housed in this space. The Show House has the greatest seasonal rotating floral display.
Special Description Garfield Park Conservatory Chicago
One of the biggest and most beautiful conservatories in the country is the one in Garfield Park. The conservatory, which is sometimes referred to as “landscape art under glass,” is a spectacular structure that is home to thousands of plant species in eight rooms and covers an interior area of around two acres. Away from the commotion of Chicago, tourists may discover lush vegetation and warm temperatures at the conservatory. In the summer, don’t forget to see the 12 acres of breathtaking outdoor gardens!
The Palm House is home to beautiful palms that rise to a vaulted ceiling and are dotted with a variety of other tropical flora. The Conservatory’s ancient Fern Room is the most striking, with its lush ferns, rocky outcroppings, and indoor lagoon evoking the marshy environment of prehistoric Chicago. The palm-like cycad, one of the planet’s oldest plant species, may be found in the Fern Room. Visit the most recent exhibit, Sugar from the Sun, to learn how plants generate energy. The greatest rotating flower show of the season is on display at the Show House. You should take your kids to the Elizabeth Morse Genius Children’s Garden for an engaging educational experience. See Dale Chihuly’s 16 golden lily pads permanently on exhibit in the “Persian Pool” when you visit the Aroid House. One of the most diverse collections of cacti and succulents in the area may be seen at The Desert House. The Moroccan Fountain mosaic is a stunning addition to Horticulture Hall, which is also available for rental for weddings and corporate events.
The Conservatory opened a brand-new exhibit, Sugar from the Sun, in 2008 to commemorate its 100th birthday. Visitors to this exhibit learn how plants utilise sunlight to convert trace amounts of water and air into sugar, which provides the energy necessary for life to exist on Earth. Recently, the Conservatory reopened the Fern Room, Desert House, and Show House, all of which had been severely damaged by the disastrous hailstorm of June 2011.
Since its founding in 1995, the Garfield Park Conservatory Alliance has generated millions of dollars for educational programmes, neighbourhood connections, and visitor services. With its cutting-edge and well-liked programming and events, such as County Fair, Creatures of the Night, Beer Under Glass, and Fleurotica, to mention a few, The Alliance has strived to introduce the neighbourhood to this historic west side jewel. The Garfield Park Conservatory is now well on its way to become, once again, one of Chicago’s finest cultural institutions thanks to a huge increase in attendance and interest during the last 10 years.
History Garfield Park Conservatory Chicago
Every one of the three big West Side parks featured a modest conservatory and a greenhouse for plant multiplication by the late 19th century. These conservatories had been in operation for 20 years, but they were now outdated and in need of repair.
The three smaller greenhouses in Humboldt, Douglass, and Garfield parks were destroyed in 1905 by Jens Jensen, general superintendent and principal landscape architect of Chicago’s West Park Commission, in order to build Garfield Park’s “biggest publicly owned conservatory under one roof in the world.” The three smaller Westside conservatories provided much of the initial plants for the garden.
The Garfield Park Conservatory, built between 1906 and 1907, was created by Jensen in partnership with Prairie School architects Schmidt, Garden and Martin and the New York engineering company Hitchings & Company. It is an exceptional example of how architects, engineers, landscape architects, sculptors, and craftspeople worked together.
A novel notion at the time, Jensen’s design for the conservatory included a number of realistic landscapes enclosed under glass. The building’s simple but sturdy design matches the assortment of plants and foliage it shelters, which is designed to resemble the haystacks of the Midwest.
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