Franklin Park Conservatory
Encyclopedia
The Franklin Park Conservatory is a botanical garden
and conservatory
located in Columbus, Ohio
. It is open daily and an admission fee is charged. Originally built in 1895, the Conservatory is on the National Register of Historic Places
. Today, it is a horticultural and educational institution showcasing exotic plant collections, special exhibitions, and Dale Chihuly
artworks.
The conservatory contains more than 400 plant species. Collections include: Himalayan Mountains
, Tropical Rainforest
, Desert
, Succulent Patio
, Bonsai Courtyard
, Pacific Island Water Garden & Cloud Forest
, Showhouse with orchid and tropical bonsai collections, and Palm House
with more than 40 species of palms. The conservatory is set within Franklin Park, and surrounded by 90 acres (36 hectares) of outdoor botanical gardens and green space.
On January 18, 1974, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places
.
For several years, the state fairgrounds were a popular destination. History was made on August 11, 1880 when General William Tecumseh Sherman
delivered his famous statement, “War is Hell,” in a speech to Civil War veterans.
The state fair occupied the site until 1884, when it moved to a new location north of Columbus. With the change, the lot was abandoned. But on May 17, 1886, the site was officially revived when the Ohio State Legislature
passed a resolution declaring it open for use as a public park.
In 1893, the Chicago’s World Fair and Columbian Exposition
was an immensely influential social and cultural event. It inspired the city of Columbus to create a horticulture building modeled after the Exposition’s Glass Palace. This glass structure, built in the grand Victorian style
, was erected in Franklin Park and opened to the public in 1895 as the Franklin Park Conservatory.
From 1895 to 1989, Columbus Recreation and Parks Department owned and operated the Conservatory. Unfortunately, little is known about the Conservatory’s earliest days, as a fire in Columbus City Hall destroyed its records in 1921. Much of the Conservatory’s history has been documented from newspapers and personal written accounts.
For a short period starting in 1927, animals were kept in the lower rooms of the Conservatory. In 1929, these animals left the Conservatory and became part of the first Columbus Zoo
.
Over time, the facility developed a reputation for horticultural excellence and the display of rare and unusual plants. The Conservatory also became a popular location for family gatherings, weddings, and other events.
In 1974, in recognition of the Conservatory’s historic and architectural merit, the original glass structure, today known as the Palm House, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
In November 1986, Franklin Park and the Conservatory became the host site for AmeriFlora '92
, a world-class, international horticulture exposition. Temporary management of the park and Conservatory was turned over to the organizers of AmeriFlora. The event officially was sanctioned by the Association International des Producteurs de l’Horticulture
as a Class A international horticulture exposition.
In preparation for the event, renovation of the historic structure and a US$
14 million expansion began in 1989. Additions totaled 58000 sq ft (5,388.4 m²) and included an Himalayan Collection, Lowland Rainforest, Desert, Pacific Island Water Garden, Tree Fern Forest, Tropical Cloud Forest, classrooms, library, gift shop, café and administrative offices. On February 14 of the same year, the U.S. Christopher Columbus
Quincentenary Jubilee Commission sanctioned AmeriFlora as an official 1992 commemorative event.
Before AmeriFlora opened, on April 10, 1991, the Ohio Legislature created the Franklin Park Conservatory Joint Recreation District for the long-term management and maintenance of Franklin Park Conservatory. Ownership of the Conservatory and surrounding 28 acres (113,312.1 m²) was to be conferred to a new 10-member board of trustees at the close of AmeriFlora. The remaining 65 acres (263,045.9 m²) were to be returned to the City of Columbus.
AmeriFlora ’92 opened on April 3, 1992 and ran through October 12, 1992. A celebration of Columbus’ voyages to America, the exposition featured live performances, a Taste of Nations pavilion and international shops. Major exhibits included the Community of Nations’ Gardens, Walt Disney World’s 20th anniversary topiary display, and the new Stephen Canneto NavStar ’92 sculpture representing the sails of Columbus’ ships. While more than one million people attended, AmeriFlora was not a financial success.
In the wake of AmeriFlora, Franklin Park Conservatory’s future lay in question. However, the decision was made in December 1992 to hire an executive director. With a handful of dedicated staff, volunteers, and an operating budget of $500,000, the institution began to regain its identity and momentum.
In 1994, Franklin Park Conservatory debuted Blooms & Butterflies, becoming the first conservatory in the nation to showcase a seasonal butterfly exhibition. It was an instant success. Since then, the annual exhibition features thousands of tropical butterflies flying through the Pacific Island Water Garden. It attracts thousands of visitors each year, and other conservatories throughout the nation have followed suit.
In 1996, the Conservatory’s board of trustees was expanded to 17 members, and by 1998, the Conservatory’s staff and its board developed a comprehensive strategic plan and mission statement to ensure its success:
The years 2003 and 2004 brought new milestones when Franklin Park Conservatory presented Chihuly at the Conservatory, a blockbuster exhibition that increased attendance by 182 percent. On October 29, 2004, the Friends of the Conservatory, a private, nonprofit group that supports the Conservatory’s programming, made a stunning move. They purchased nearly the entire exhibition of Dale Chihuly’s artworks valued at close to $7 million. To this day, Franklin Park Conservatory is the only public botanical garden in the world to own a signature collection of Chihuly’s magnificent glass artworks, which represents over 3,000 pieces of glass.
In 2006, Franklin Park Conservatory has an operating budget of more than $4 million, a staff of 75 and more than 250 volunteers. The facility offers a wide range of educational classes for school groups, families, and individuals of all ages. Its extensive plant collections and special exhibitions provide hands-on learning opportunities about the natural world, gardening, and the arts.
Now In 2009 Franklin Park is open on Mondays through Friday starting at 10 in the morning
Botanical garden
A botanical garden The terms botanic and botanical, and garden or gardens are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word botanic is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens. is a well-tended area displaying a wide range of plants labelled with their botanical names...
and conservatory
Conservatory (greenhouse)
A conservatory is a room having glass roof and walls, typically attached to a house on only one side, used as a greenhouse or a sunroom...
located in Columbus, Ohio
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
. It is open daily and an admission fee is charged. Originally built in 1895, the Conservatory is on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
. Today, it is a horticultural and educational institution showcasing exotic plant collections, special exhibitions, and Dale Chihuly
Dale Chihuly
Dale Chihuly is an American glass sculptor and entrepreneur.-Biography:Chihuly graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School in Tacoma, Washington. He enrolled at the College of the Puget Sound in 1959...
artworks.
The conservatory contains more than 400 plant species. Collections include: Himalayan Mountains
Himalayas
The Himalaya Range or Himalaya Mountains Sanskrit: Devanagari: हिमालय, literally "abode of snow"), usually called the Himalayas or Himalaya for short, is a mountain range in Asia, separating the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau...
, Tropical Rainforest
Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests
Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests , also known as tropical moist forests, are a tropical and subtropical forest biome....
, Desert
Desert
A desert is a landscape or region that receives an extremely low amount of precipitation, less than enough to support growth of most plants. Most deserts have an average annual precipitation of less than...
, Succulent Patio
Succulent plant
Succulent plants, also known as succulents or fat plants, are water-retaining plants adapted to arid climates or soil conditions. Succulent plants store water in their leaves, stems, and also in roots...
, Bonsai Courtyard
Bonsai
is a Japanese art form using miniature trees grown in containers. Similar practices exist in other cultures, including the Chinese tradition of penjing from which the art originated, and the miniature living landscapes of Vietnamese hòn non bộ...
, Pacific Island Water Garden & Cloud Forest
Cloud forest
A cloud forest, also called a fog forest, is a generally tropical or subtropical evergreen montane moist forest characterized by a persistent, frequent or seasonal low-level cloud cover, usually at the canopy level. Cloud forests often exhibit an abundance of mosses covering the ground and...
, Showhouse with orchid and tropical bonsai collections, and Palm House
Arecaceae
Arecaceae or Palmae , are a family of flowering plants, the only family in the monocot order Arecales. There are roughly 202 currently known genera with around 2600 species, most of which are restricted to tropical, subtropical, and warm temperate climates...
with more than 40 species of palms. The conservatory is set within Franklin Park, and surrounded by 90 acres (36 hectares) of outdoor botanical gardens and green space.
On January 18, 1974, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
History
Franklin County Agriculture Society purchased 88 acres (356,123.7 m²) of land two miles (3 km) east of downtown Columbus to host the first Franklin County Fair in 1852. By 1874, the Franklin County Agricultural Society agreed on the importance of this piece of land, increased the size to 93 acres (376,358 m²), and made it the official site of the Ohio State FairOhio State Fair
The Ohio State Fair is one of the largest state fairs in the United States. In 2011 the attendance was 833,000, the fair's highest attendance since 2004. The state fair contributes as much as 280 million dollars to the state economy...
.
For several years, the state fairgrounds were a popular destination. History was made on August 11, 1880 when General William Tecumseh Sherman
William Tecumseh Sherman
William Tecumseh Sherman was an American soldier, businessman, educator and author. He served as a General in the Union Army during the American Civil War , for which he received recognition for his outstanding command of military strategy as well as criticism for the harshness of the "scorched...
delivered his famous statement, “War is Hell,” in a speech to Civil War veterans.
The state fair occupied the site until 1884, when it moved to a new location north of Columbus. With the change, the lot was abandoned. But on May 17, 1886, the site was officially revived when the Ohio State Legislature
Ohio General Assembly
The Ohio General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Ohio. It consists of the 99-member Ohio House of Representatives and the 33-member Ohio Senate...
passed a resolution declaring it open for use as a public park.
In 1893, the Chicago’s World Fair and Columbian Exposition
World's Columbian Exposition
The World's Columbian Exposition was a World's Fair held in Chicago in 1893 to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the New World in 1492. Chicago bested New York City; Washington, D.C.; and St...
was an immensely influential social and cultural event. It inspired the city of Columbus to create a horticulture building modeled after the Exposition’s Glass Palace. This glass structure, built in the grand Victorian style
Victorian architecture
The term Victorian architecture refers collectively to several architectural styles employed predominantly during the middle and late 19th century. The period that it indicates may slightly overlap the actual reign, 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901, of Queen Victoria. This represents the British and...
, was erected in Franklin Park and opened to the public in 1895 as the Franklin Park Conservatory.
From 1895 to 1989, Columbus Recreation and Parks Department owned and operated the Conservatory. Unfortunately, little is known about the Conservatory’s earliest days, as a fire in Columbus City Hall destroyed its records in 1921. Much of the Conservatory’s history has been documented from newspapers and personal written accounts.
For a short period starting in 1927, animals were kept in the lower rooms of the Conservatory. In 1929, these animals left the Conservatory and became part of the first Columbus Zoo
Columbus Zoo
The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium is a non-profit zoo located in Powell, Ohio , just north of Columbus. The land lies along the eastern banks of the O'Shaughnessy Reservoir on the Scioto River, at the intersection of Riverside Drive and Powell Road...
.
Over time, the facility developed a reputation for horticultural excellence and the display of rare and unusual plants. The Conservatory also became a popular location for family gatherings, weddings, and other events.
In 1974, in recognition of the Conservatory’s historic and architectural merit, the original glass structure, today known as the Palm House, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
AmeriFlora '92
AmeriFlora '92
AmeriFlora '92 was an international horticultural exhibition held in Columbus, Ohio, United States from April 20 to October 12, 1992. Taking place on 88 acres of landscaped grounds at Franklin Park, the exhibition cost $95 million to produce and attracted 5.5 million visitors.- Origins :AmeriFlora...
, a world-class, international horticulture exposition. Temporary management of the park and Conservatory was turned over to the organizers of AmeriFlora. The event officially was sanctioned by the Association International des Producteurs de l’Horticulture
AIPH
The International Association of Horticultural Producers is an international organisation dedicated to promoting horticultural producers and held the international garden / flora festivals or expositions worldwide.-History:...
as a Class A international horticulture exposition.
In preparation for the event, renovation of the historic structure and a US$
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
14 million expansion began in 1989. Additions totaled 58000 sq ft (5,388.4 m²) and included an Himalayan Collection, Lowland Rainforest, Desert, Pacific Island Water Garden, Tree Fern Forest, Tropical Cloud Forest, classrooms, library, gift shop, café and administrative offices. On February 14 of the same year, the U.S. Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus was an explorer, colonizer, and navigator, born in the Republic of Genoa, in northwestern Italy. Under the auspices of the Catholic Monarchs of Spain, he completed four voyages across the Atlantic Ocean that led to general European awareness of the American continents in the...
Quincentenary Jubilee Commission sanctioned AmeriFlora as an official 1992 commemorative event.
Before AmeriFlora opened, on April 10, 1991, the Ohio Legislature created the Franklin Park Conservatory Joint Recreation District for the long-term management and maintenance of Franklin Park Conservatory. Ownership of the Conservatory and surrounding 28 acres (113,312.1 m²) was to be conferred to a new 10-member board of trustees at the close of AmeriFlora. The remaining 65 acres (263,045.9 m²) were to be returned to the City of Columbus.
AmeriFlora ’92 opened on April 3, 1992 and ran through October 12, 1992. A celebration of Columbus’ voyages to America, the exposition featured live performances, a Taste of Nations pavilion and international shops. Major exhibits included the Community of Nations’ Gardens, Walt Disney World’s 20th anniversary topiary display, and the new Stephen Canneto NavStar ’92 sculpture representing the sails of Columbus’ ships. While more than one million people attended, AmeriFlora was not a financial success.
Present day
In 1994, Franklin Park Conservatory debuted Blooms & Butterflies, becoming the first conservatory in the nation to showcase a seasonal butterfly exhibition. It was an instant success. Since then, the annual exhibition features thousands of tropical butterflies flying through the Pacific Island Water Garden. It attracts thousands of visitors each year, and other conservatories throughout the nation have followed suit.
In 1996, the Conservatory’s board of trustees was expanded to 17 members, and by 1998, the Conservatory’s staff and its board developed a comprehensive strategic plan and mission statement to ensure its success:
The years 2003 and 2004 brought new milestones when Franklin Park Conservatory presented Chihuly at the Conservatory, a blockbuster exhibition that increased attendance by 182 percent. On October 29, 2004, the Friends of the Conservatory, a private, nonprofit group that supports the Conservatory’s programming, made a stunning move. They purchased nearly the entire exhibition of Dale Chihuly’s artworks valued at close to $7 million. To this day, Franklin Park Conservatory is the only public botanical garden in the world to own a signature collection of Chihuly’s magnificent glass artworks, which represents over 3,000 pieces of glass.
In 2006, Franklin Park Conservatory has an operating budget of more than $4 million, a staff of 75 and more than 250 volunteers. The facility offers a wide range of educational classes for school groups, families, and individuals of all ages. Its extensive plant collections and special exhibitions provide hands-on learning opportunities about the natural world, gardening, and the arts.
Now In 2009 Franklin Park is open on Mondays through Friday starting at 10 in the morning