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FERN ROOM
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House History: Prehistory Illinois
Described as a restoration of prehistoric Illinois,
the Fern Room (originally called the Aquatic Room) was designed by Jens
Jensen to give visitors a glimpse of the types of plants growing in
Illinois in a much earlier and much warmer geologic time. The center
lagoon of this room is not only an important design element, but also
provides the necessary humidity for many of the moisture loving plant
residents. The natural landscaping in this room is the original work of
Jensen, and is a powerful example of his “idealized prairie” style, with
strong emphasis on horizontal lines and stratified stonework. Many of
the plants in this room are descendants of the original 1908 Fern Room
flora- of note, in 1952, the entire Fern Room plant collection was
relocated and stored temporarily at the Lincoln Park Conservatory,
during the Fern Room’s largest renovation. Despite this itinerant
period, the plants came back home and thrived.
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A Special Place: A Hidden Melody
If you wander the limestone path at the far end of the
Fern Room (or peer to the back of the room from the Palm House), you
will spot Jens Jensen’s famous prairie waterfall. It is said that during
the original construction of this feature, the renowned landscape
architect was upset by his mason’s first attempt at building it. Jensen
thought it sounded like “an abrupt mountain cascade.” After dismantling
and rebuilding the waterfall several times, the worker became
frustrated. Jensen suggested that, for an understanding of what
this waterfall should sound like, he go home and have someone play
Mendelssohn’s “Spring Song” on the piano. A piano-playing neighbor named
Minna obliged the worker’s odd request that evening, and the next day,
the mason came back to work and constructed the waterfall perfectly so
that the “water tinkled gently from ledge to ledge, as it should in a
prairie country.”
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The Special Plants: A Pair of Tercentennial Cycads
The Fern Room showcases many rare plants with
prehistoric pasts. A pair of large cycads, for example, stands watch on
either side of the sunken Fern Room stairs, guarding both a recent and
primordial past. At over 300 years old, these particular cycads
are assumed to be the oldest plants in the Conservatory. They were alive
during the lives of not only George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, but
also Susan B. Anthony and Martin Luther King as well. This botanical
twosome (a male and a female) was purchased from a New Jersey plants-man
at a discount after he displayed them at Chicago’s annual flower show in
1908. Even at 300 years old, they are relatively young compared to the
millions of years that have past since their ancient ancestors grew
alongside the dinosaurs. (The male plant is located on the north side of
the Fern Room stairs; the female is on the south side of the stairs.) |
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