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PALM HOUSE
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House History:
Designed by Jens Jensen, and first built in 1907 of metal trusses and specially cut glass panes, the Palm House was rebuilt in 1958 with fiberglass replacements. In 2002, the room was renovated once again, but this time, with glass, to more closely resemble Jensen’s original design.
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A Special Place:
If you stand in the front entryway of the Palm House
and peer directly west over the reflecting pool and into the Fern Room,
you are treated to one of the most spectacular views designed by Jens
Jensen. Jensen, as stated previously, was radical in his conservatory
design scheme, and this view is particularly strong example of Jensen’s
revolutionary vision. With the center of both rooms open, the deep
scenic view from Palm House to Fern room is framed stunningly with
plants and stonework.
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The
Special People:
In 1926, botanists from the Field Museum of Natural History gave Garfield Park Conservatory a gift that kept on giving: the seeds that grew our Scheelea palms. Scientists acquired these seeds on an expedition to Brazil, brought them back to Chicago and they have been growing here ever since. The huge Scheelea Palm growing in our Palm House now has the distinct honor of being the largest (but not the tallest) plant in our collection. This type of cultural exchange is a powerful example of the connections shared between Chicago’s historic institutions over the years.
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A Special Plant:
Robert Van Tress, a senior horticulturist working for
the Conservatory during the 1960’s, was known as the “Answer Man”
because of his wealth of interest and knowledge in others’ horticultural
questions. He was also an avid traveler, and during one of his trips,
acquired a rare double coconut palm seed in hopes of cultivating the
plant in Chicago soil. (The only place in the world where this palm
grows naturally is on the Seychelles Islands off the east coast of
Africa. The double coconut palm produces the largest seed in the world;
the palm takes twenty to thirty years before bearing seed, and that seed
can take five to seven years to mature.) Though Van Tress’ attempt to
germinate this souvenir failed, his colleagues were determined to
cultivate this type of rare palm in honor of his retirement, and finally
succeeded in 1969. In 2003, the then 36 year old palm was beginning to
outgrow its far southwest corner, so was moved to its current location
for more breathing room. Today, by all known accounts, this specimen is
the largest double coconut palm growing in captivity and outside the
Seychelles Islands in the whole world. |
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