Garfield Park Conservatory is home to hundreds of different plants from the world's tropics. The conservatory is 10,000 square feet.
The original Conservatory was designed and constructed in 1916 by respected German landscape architect George Kessler. It consisted of a palm house, two show houses, two plant houses a propagating house and a service building. The original structure was designed with traditional curving roof lines.
In 1955, the aging wooden Conservatory was replaced with a welded aluminum framed building in the art-deco style. This is the Conservatory that remains today. At the time this Conservatory was constructed, it was the first aluminum building in the United States.
Renovations were made to the entire park in 1997, of which included, the introduction of a permanent rainforest theme in the Conservatory. The Conservatory now houses a wide variety of plant species including palms, orchids, ferns, cacao, vanilla, bananas and coffee.
The Sunken Garden includes three acres of European classical formal gardens. The garden's seasonal fountains, formal flower displays, concrete urns and bowls are historically maintained as George Kessler would have designed them in the 1910s. This beautiful step back in time is a welcome break from the busyness of city life.