Garfield Park Conservatory

6-1-14 - For updates on construction at the Garfield Park Conservatory, please visit our Back to Glass page.

 

6-1-13 - Construction on the Show House roof is scheduled to begin in June 2013, to replace the current temporary roof with strong glass. The original roof was severely damaged in a June 30, 2011 hailstorm that shattered thousands of panes of glass in the Show House, Fern Room, Desert House and propagation greenhouses. The propagation greenhouse roofs were repaired in 2012, and the temporary roofs in the Fern Room and Desert House will be repaired in the future. The Show House will be closed during the construction, except for a tunnel that will be constructed through the room to allow access from the Palm House to Horticulture Hall.

 

2-1-13 - Repairs to the Fern Room, Desert House and Show House are expected to begin in spring 2013. Please watch for more details regarding room closures and updates on construction.

 

11-1-12- Repairs to the Propagation Greenhouses have been almost entirely completed.

 

4-12-12 - The Chicago Park District Board of Commissioners has decided that repairs to the propagation houses will take place during the summer of 2012. Repairs to the display houses are scheduled to take place during the summer of 2013.

 

1-22-12 – The Desert House and Aroid House have temporarily reopened to the public. All display houses are now open to the public until permanent repairs begin.

 

12-2-11 – The Show House has been re-opened to the public as a pass-through between the Palm House and Horticulture Hall, and the Fern Room will be re-opened to the public on Saturday, December 3rd.

 

10-26-11 – Polycarbonate sheets have been attached to the roof in the Aroid and Desert Houses to patch holes left by broken panes of glass. Sheets will soon cover the roofs of the Show House and Propagation Houses #1 through #4.

 

9-23-11 – Polycarbonate sheets have been attached to the roof of the Fern Room to protect the plants from the elements, and to keep humidity in the room. This temporary roofing is expected to protect the room through the winter.

 

9-7-11 - For a Better Chicago’s campaign to match donations made to the Conservatory up to $10,000 has been completed! Thank you to everyone who participated and had their donation matched. The Garfield Park Conservatory Alliance would like to express their heartfelt gratitude to For a Better Chicago for stepping up immediately after the storm to help the Conservatory, and for their generous matching donation.

 

8-5-11 - All glass has been removed from the roof of the Show House. Plants and soil are now being removed from the room. The majority of the glass has been removed from the roof of the Fern Room.

 

7-14-11 - The Chicago Park District Board of Commissioners met on July 13th and announced that the clean-up process alone will cost approximately $2 million and is expected to last through mid-August. Glass is currently being removed from the damaged roofs by hand.

 

7-8-11 - The cost of the clean up and repairs, as well as a timeline for the repair process is still unknown at this time.

 

7-3-11 - Damaged display houses have been blocked and the Conservatory has re-opened to the public.

 

7-2-11 - Both the fish in the Fern Room pond, and the turtles living in the Fern Room have been spotted and appear to be doing fine.

 

7-1-11 - The plants in the damaged rooms are being watered by staff who are taking every precaution to stay safe. Because the staff cannot yet access all areas of these rooms, damage to individual plants is still mostly unknown.

 

If you are interested in volunteering to help the plants recover after the clean-up process, please check out our volunteer webpage for the most up-to-date information, or contact:

 

Mattie Wilson

Volunteer Coordinator

mwilson@garfieldpark.org.

 

Room rentals, including weddings, meetings, birthday parties, showers, and fundraisers.are still being held at the Conservatory. If you would like to rent space at the Conservatory, or have an upcoming rental already scheduled and have questions, please contact:

 

Joan Colon

Special Events Coordinator

312-746-5250

joan.colon@chicagoparkdistrict.com

 

We are still welcoming schools and other groups to visit the Conservatory during restoration. Please plan ahead and be flexible with your dates and times when scheduling your group visit with us. As always, all groups of 10 or more people are required to pre-register with us before coming to the Conservatory.

 

To schedule a trip or for more information, please contact:

 

Program Registrar

773-638-1766 x.25

registrar@garfieldpark.org

 

July 1, 2011

 

Re: Conservatory devastated by storm

 

Dear Friends of the Conservatory,

 

I never thought I would ever write a letter like this one, but today is not a normal day. You may have already heard by now that the Conservatory sustained catastrophic damage from last night’s hailstorm, shattering nearly all the ceiling panes in 3 public houses – the historic Fern Room, Show and Desert Houses and all 10 of the production greenhouses in the back area where horticulturists keep and grow the Conservatory’s extra plants.

 

This is a major catastrophe. The pathways, ponds, and plants in the Fern, Show and Desert rooms are covered with broken shards of glass. Until the ceiling is repaired, rain will cause the ponds to overflow, and direct sunlight will destroy and kill at least half of the plants that have been so carefully and lovingly conserved for so many years – hundreds of years for some, in the Fern Room, including the famous male and female cycads at the room’s entrance.

 

In order for us to save the Conservatory, its thousands of treasured plants, and, of course, make it accessible for visitors again, the Conservatory’s crew will need to sweep all the glass, pull off broken pieces dangling dangerously from the ceiling, and sweep again and again until the pathways are safe. Most difficult of all, horticulturists will need to inspect every plant and remove every piece of glass – by hand – buried in the plants. Finally, each broken pane of glass will need to be replaced. I have been told that it will cost millions of dollars just to replace the glass, and this does not even include infrastructure repairs that are needed as well.

 

There is much at stake here, not just for me or my staff, but for the city of Chicago. The Conservatory is a historical landmark and a place where you have come to rest, learn, enjoy, love, and find peace. We need funds to rebuild the damaged ceilings with strong, modern glass such as those used in the recent renovations of the Palm House, the Sugar from the Sun exhibit, Aroid House and Children’s Garden. These rooms survived the storm!

 

Words cannot convey how devastated I am to see the Conservatory as it is right now. When you spend so much time nurturing, building, and caring for a beautiful and special place like the Conservatory, it is truly shocking to see it broken like this. We need your help like never before. We ask that you give what you can to preserve this wonderful institution. Any amount you give will help us tremendously. Please make a donation now.

 

Sincerely,

Eunita Rushing
President

We love hearing from our visitors and fans. If you would like to share your thoughts about the Conservatory, have a question that wasn't answered here, or have an idea you want to share for the clean up, repair, or fundraising process, please email:

 

Barbara Carney

Development Director

bcarney@garfieldpark.org

 

Chicago Tribune

Parts of Garfield Park Conservatory Reopen After Hail Damage

Portions of the Garfield Park Conservatory, devastated by Thursday night's massive hailstorms, reopened today. The rooms of the 100-year-old conservatory that are open to the public sustained minimal damage during the storms ... Read More

 

WGNTV

Cleanup of Storm Damaged Conservatory to Cost Millions

The cleanup of the Garfield Park Conservatory will cost $2 million dollars and that is before any of the rebuilding begins, officials announced Wednesday. The hailstorm of two weeks ago was the worst disaster to hit Garfield Park ... Read More

 

CBS Chicago

Garfield Park Hail Damage Could Cost Millions To Repair

Hailstones the size of large marbles rained down on the Garfield Park Conservatory Thursday night, smashing tens of thousands of window panes that cover three of the giant greenhouses and causing widespread damage to the plants ... Read More

 

Chicago Sun-Times

Hail Shatters Historic Showrooms at Garfield Park Conservatory

The Garfield Park Conservatory was shuttered after a hail storm Thursday night shattered numerous glass panes in three showrooms and nine productions rooms, showering plants with glass in unprecedented damage for the historic building ... Read More

 

NBC Chicago

Hail Shatters Garfield Park Conservatory

Hail shattered several rooms at Garfield Park Conservatory during Thursday's storm, causing "unprecedented" damage and closing the facility until further notice. "We come to connect people with nature," said park district director of conservatories ...Read More

 

Chicago Tribune

Hailstorm Devastates Garfield Park Conservatory

An ominous sky peeked through the shattered ceiling at the Garfield Park Conservatory on Friday as chunks of glass continued to fall, shattering in a fountain far below. The night before, large hailstones pounded the West Side ... Read More

 

WGN News

Hail Damage Shuts Down Garfield Park Conservatory

The latest storm to blow through Chicago has caused major damage to a popular Chicago attraction. Thursday night's hail pelted the Garfield Park Conservatory and shattered its glass roof ... Read More

 

All media staff and groups wishing to interview, film or photograph at the Garfield Park Conservatory should contact:

 

Zvez Kubat

Chicago Park District Assistant Press Secretary

312-742-4791

zvezdana.kubat@chicagoparkdistrict.com