Bloedel Floral Conservatory

Bloedel Floral Conservatory

The Bloedel Floral Conservatory
Date opened	1969
Location	Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Coordinates	49°14′32″N 123°06′50″W / 49.2421°N 123.1138°W / 49.2421; -123.1138Coordinates: 49°14′32″N 123°06′50″W / 49.2421°N 123.1138°W / 49.2421; -123.1138
Number of animals	100 birds
Number of species	500 plant species
Website	http://vancouver.ca/parks-recreation-culture/bloedel-conservatory.aspx

The Bloedel Floral Conservatory in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, is a conservatory and aviary located at the top of Queen Elizabeth Park.

In 1966, communities and organizations across Canada were encouraged to engage in Centennial projects to celebrate this country’s 100th anniversary. The projects ranged from special one-time events to local improvement projects. In Vancouver, Stuart Lefeaux, Superintendent of the Vancouver Park Board and his Deputy Bill Livingstone had a vision for Vancouver: they wanted to create an icon that would enhance the image of the city, while at the same time give people something to be really excited about. Their vision was to build a conservatory for exotic plants that would not only be educational, but would also be a great place for families to go.

What better spot to place such a landmark than at the geographic centre of the city and at its highest point of land? Building a conservatory on top of Little Mountain, as it was called at the time, was a complicated project. The City had already leased the top of the mountain to the Greater Vancouver Water Board and they had built a 5 ½ acre open water reservoir for the City’s potable water supply. A concrete lid was constructed in 1965 to cover the reservoir, but approval was needed to build the Conservatory’s surrounding plaza on top of the cover. The project was not to detract from the natural beauty of the site, nor to jeopardize the quality of the potable water supply in the reservoir. Climates had to be simulated for temperate, tropical and arid areas in the botanical displays inside the Conservatory, and the project was not to exceed the budget. Giving the immense concrete plaza over the reservoir an attractive garden atmosphere meant working within rigid and expensive water board restrictions. These challenges were overcome, and the Conservatory was constructed next to this reservoir, which remains a major source of water for the city today.

With philanthropy from extraction companies being at an all-time high during the 1960s, Lefeux and Livingstone knew there must be a way to get this project funded. They approached Prentice Bloedel of the Macmillan Bloedel Lumber Company. Mr. Bloedel, a visionary in his own right, teacher at heart and a pioneer in the areas of recycling and the human/ environmental connection, agreed! The Bloedel Foundation put forward $1.25 million in conjunction with contributions by the City of Vancouver and the Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation to build the Bloedel Conservatory, the Dancing Fountains and the surrounding plaza. This gift was the largest the city of Vancouver had received to that date.