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HORTICULTURE HALL
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House History:
In 1927, the Conservatory’s annual attendance swelled
to more than 500,000 and it became clear that the facilities needed to
expand. The following year, the West Park Commission built this
major new exhibition hall that not only protected plants from the cold
as they were moved from the back green houses to public display houses,
but also provided a large public space for use by garden clubs, plant
societies, and the general public. Horticulture Hall has been updated
twice in its history, once in the 1950’s and again during the 1990’s.
Today, this room with its own botanical display, serves as a
multipurpose space for community events, concerts, and weddings, as well
as a relaxed seating area for general visitors.
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A Special Place:
In the late 1920’s, with the advent of Horticulture
Hall, Garfield Park Conservatory’s role in educating the visiting public
was growing stronger. Conservatory staff began labeling plants for the
first time, provided free guidebooks about the Conservatory, and even
offered the public an opportunity to bring in their own plants for
expert identification. Today, Horticultural Hall hosts a number of
special educational events facilitated by the Garfield Park Conservatory
Alliance, the non-profit educational arm of the Garfield Park
Conservatory. This year, the Alliance hosts its 9th annual Chocolate
Festival in February, an event dedicated to educating people about the
important (and tasty!) roles plants play in people’s everyday
lives. Please visit our website for other special educational
events, such as April’s Green & Growing Fair, the July Honey Harvest,
September’s County Fair, and October’s Creatures of the Night. Info at-
www.garfieldconservatory.org
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The
Special People:
The mosaic fountain at the center of Horticulture
Hall was constructed on-site in the summer of 2003 by three Moroccan
artists. It is aptly named the Moroccan-American Friendship Fountain.
This intricate piece was built using terra-cotta tiles shipped from the
Moroccan city of Fez. A gift from Chicago’s Sister City of Casa Blanca,
the ever-flowing spring is an important man-made addition to the
Conservatory’s living plant collection. |
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