Belle Isle Conservatory
| Anna Scripps Whitcomb Conservatory | |
|---|---|
| Belle Isle Conservatory | |
 |
|
| Type | Botanical garden and greenhouse |
| Location |
Belle Isle Park Detroit, Michigan |
| Coordinates | 42°20′32″N 82°58′46″W / 42.34222°N 82.97944°WCoordinates: 42°20′32″N 82°58′46″W / 42.34222°N 82.97944°W |
| Area | 13 acres (5.3 ha) |
| Opened | August 18, 1904 |
| Designer | George D. Mason & Albert Kahn |
| Etymology | In April 1953, Anna Scripps Whitcomb gave her 600 orchids collection to the conservatory |
| Operated by | State of Michigan |
| Open | 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (EST) |
| Status | Open all year |
| Website | belleisleconservancy.org |
The Anna Scripps Whitcomb Conservatory (commonly and locally known as the Belle Isle Conservatory) is a greenhouse and a botanical garden located on Belle Isle, a 982-acre island park nestled in the Detroit River between Detroit and the Canada–United States border. The park itself consists of 13 acres of preserved land for the conservatory and its botanical garden.
Opened in 1904, the Anna Scripps Whitcomb Conservatory is the oldest continually-running conservatory in the United States. It is named for Anna Scripps Whitcomb, who left her collection of 600 orchids to Detroit in 1955.
The Belle Isle Conservatory, along with the neighboring Belle Isle Aquarium, was (according to the September 1, 1901 edition of the Detroit Free Press) designed by the noted firm of George D. Mason and Albert Kahn, and built between 1902 and 1904. Kahn modeled the building after architectural exhibitions and garden pavilions of the mid- to late-nineteenth century, most notably The Crystal Palace and the Palm House at Kew Gardens.
Located in the center of the 982-acre Belle Isle Park, the conservatory covers 13 acres, with a lily pond on its north side and perennial gardens on the west; the gardens home the Levi L. Barbour Memorial Fountain, designed by sculptor Marshall Fredericks. The Conservatory building is divided into five distinct sections: the Palm house (inside the domed center), the Tropical house (South Wing), the Cactus house and Fernery (North Wing), and the Show house (East Wing). The main feature of the building is the 85 feet (26 m) high central dome, which houses palm trees and other tropical plants.
The conservatory, originally known as the Horticultural Building, opened on August 18, 1904, and is currently "the oldest, continually operating conservatory in the United States." Soon after its opening, it became a popular attraction, reaching an annual average of 1.5 million visitors in the mid-1920s. In 1953, the original wooden frame of the central dome was replaced by one made of iron and aluminum; the operation cost circa $500,000.
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