Sunday, December 10, 2006

SAN FRANCISCO CONSERVATORY OF FLOWERS




The San Francisco Conservatory of Flowers is a large botanical greenhouse in Golden Gate Park. Many exotic flowers from around the world are grown there for study and display.
It has been declared as the oldest existing public conservatory in the Western Hemisphere.
In 1872 the Victorian wood and glass greenhouse was opened to the public. In 1883 the heating plant exploded and set the main dome on fire. Railroad tycoon Charles Crocker donated funds for repair and in 1906 the Great San Francisco Earthquake destroyed much of the City but damage to the "glass house" was minimal. It has been closed several times for extensive repairs and in 1995 a monster storm with 100MPH (160KM/H) winds blew in off the Pacific from the Gulf of Alaska severely damaging the building. In 1998 the National Trust For Historic Preservation "adopted" the Conservatory. Restoration lasted from 1999 to 2003. Restoration was finally completed and the building was opened to the public.
The Conservatory contains approximately 1,700 plant species.
There are 16,800 window panes and the upper dome weighs 14.5 tons.
Further information can be found at Wikipedia for satellite images and virtual tours around the Conservatory of flowers. Posted by Picasa

17 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wow thats huge. I would love to visit. Must be a great place to photograph flowers.

Anonymous said...

This greenhouse looks more like a white house to me. Great shot

Kate said...

Conservatories are wonderful places to visit. It reminds me of our own wonderful buildings in Como Park in St. Paul, MN. Great information also.

Deb said...

Such a beautiful building...and an amazing history lesson!
Great photo too!

Anonymous said...

il est superbe, il me fait penser a celui qui se trouve à Brooklyn. Vraiment tres beau, j'aime beaucoup ce genre d'architecture.


it is superb, it makes me think has that which is in Brooklyn. Really very beautiful, I like much this kind of architecture.

Anonymous said...

An amazing architectural marvel. Thanks for sharing this information. I will definitely visit there. I love flowers. Take care.

Anonymous said...

that's is a great building and the sky is pristine.

thank you for stopping by my blog and for your kind comments.

Anonymous said...

I like a lot this kind of architecture!

AphotoAday said...

Yes, it is an amazing place, isn't it? I visited several months ago (hadn't been there for many years) when they were having a butterfly exbibit, which was neat, but the humidity was so high that my my lens kept fogging up, making photography almost impossible... Reminds me I should go back again... By the way, the Japanese Tea Garden is pretty nice too, and is well worth the $4 admission, even if you don't pause for tea... Discovered Stow Lake for the very first time... Also the Rose Garden...And of course -- the new DeYoung Museum goes without saying... All this in one little area... What a place...

J. Andrew Lockhart said...

I sure would love to go see this!

Anonymous said...

Very cool building.

Annie said...

How did I miss that when I was in San Francisco a few years back. I must have been addled by all the other fabulous sights I saw in San Francisco, which became the city where I left my heart.

Thanks for this lovely visit to the conservatory.

Anonymous said...

beautiful architecture...i been there couple year ago...love the white color they stand out so well in the park...great shot:-))

Lucy said...

What a great building!
Is the conservatory near the De Young museum in the Park?

Icarus said...

Just when we think it's all sorted out with beta, there are no word verifs anywhere in the world! But I've returned & this time they're back! So, I had said that the building reminds me of crystal palaces in various places across Europe. great building!

Edulabbe said...

That's a huge and beautiful greenhouse!
I guess your subsequent pictures (all beautiful BTW), are from this conservatory of flowers.

Greetings from Chile

Wingnut said...

Wow, I am going to have to go there next time I am in San Fransisco! I have heard of this, but never knew where it was, great shot!