Garfield Park Conservatory – Landscape Art under Glass

Garfield Park Conservatory

Often referred to as “Landscape Art Under Glass.”

Opened to public 1908

Occupies two acres of public greenhouse space and 10 acres of outdoor gardens

Garfield Park Conservatory was designed by the famous landscape architect Jens Jensen in collaboration with Prairie School architects Schmidt, Garden and Martin and the New York engineering firm of Hitchings and Company. It represented a unique collaboration of a prominent landscape architect with architects and engineers.

Both Garfield Park and its conservatory are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Location: 300 N Central Park Ave, Chicago, IL 60624

HISTORY

In the late 19th century, each of the three large West side parks – Humboldt, Garfield, and Douglas – had its own small conservatory and propagation greenhouses. After 20 years of use, these conservatories had fallen into disrepair and administrators believed it redundant to show similar plant collections in three facilities located within close proximity of each other.

In 1905 Chicago’s West Park Commission’s general superintendent and chief landscape architect, Jens Jensen, demolished the three smaller greenhouses in Humboldt, Douglas and Garfield Parks to create what was intended as “the largest publicly owned conservatory under one roof in the world” in Garfield Park. Many of the original plantings came from the three earlier conservatories.

Constructed between 1906 and 1907, the Garfield Park Conservatory opened to the public in 1908.

In 1994, the Chicago Park District embarked on a multi-million dollar restoration plan that has brought vast improvements to the aging facility. Renovations and improvements continued with the opening of a brand new exhibit, Sugar from the Sun, in 2008, during the facility’s centennial year, teaching visitors how plants capture sunlight and use it to change small parts of air and water into sugar – the energy that sustains life on Earth.

Source: Garfield Park Conservatory website.

Garfield Park Conservatory

DISPLAY HOUSES

Jensen conceived the Conservatory as a series of naturalistic landscapes under glass, a revolutionary idea at the time. The Conservatory includes 8 display houses – Palm House, Fern House, Sugar from Sun, Desert House, Aroid House, Show House, Horticulture Hall and E.M.G. Children Garden, and also Outdoor Gardens.

Garfield Park Conservatory – Palm House

PALM HOUSE

One of the most popular rooms is the first presented to visitors, the Palm Room. At 65 ft high and 90 ft wide, this is the largest room in the Conservatory. It is designed as an idealized tropical landscape, featuring more than 70 graceful palms, as well as other plants from warm habitats all around the world.

Garfield Park Conservatory – Fern House

FERN HOUSE

Jens Jensen, who designed the Conservatory in 1906, wanted to give visitors a glimpse of what Illinois might have looked like millions of years ago. Lush ferns, rocky outcroppings and an indoor lagoon evoke the swampy landscape of prehistoric Chicago.

Garfield Park Conservatory – Desert House

DESERT HOUSE

The Desert House holds one of the region’s most varied collections of cacti and succulents.

Garfield Park Conservatory – Aroid House / Persian Pool with Lily Pads – by Dale Chihuly

AROID HOUSE

A variety of aroids are on display. A spectacular feature is the “Persian Pool,” sixteen yellow lily pads, which were created by the world acclaimed glass artist Chihuly expressly for the Aroid House.

Garfield Park Conservatory – Horticulture Hall

HORTICULTURE HALL

This room houses bistro tables for the public to sit and enjoy the greenery around them or have a snack. After hours, the room can be transformed into an amazing setting for weddings, corporate receptions, or performance space.

Garfield Park Conservatory