Eat, Drink, and Play in Chicago | A Quiet Oasis Amid Gray Concrete and Steel
When it comes to Chicago, the first image that comes to mind is probably the hustle and bustle of towering skyscrapers and heavy traffic🎺. Have you ever felt visually tired from weaving through gray concrete buildings every day?
This time, I’ll take you to the Garfield Park Conservatory in Chicago. It’s the perfect choice to relax your mind and body with family after a busy week.
Where did the Garfield Park Conservatory come from?
Located in Chicago, Illinois, the Garfield Park Conservatory is one of the largest and most stunning conservatories in the United States. Often referred to as “landscape art under glass,” the conservatory occupies two acres of public greenhouse space and ten acres of outdoor gardens. It sits within Garfield Park, a 184-acre site on Chicago’s West Side designed by William LeBaron Jenney as a playground that originally served as the centerpiece of three renowned western parks (Humboldt, Garfield, and Douglas).
Seeds of an Alliance
In the winter of 1994, after a devastating cold spell destroyed most of the aroid collection, the Chicago Park District assembled a task force of representatives from various community, educational, and environmental organizations. Over six months, 80 volunteers developed and participated in a rescue plan to rebuild the conservatory through new programs, visitor services, marketing, and public fundraising.
These activities were carried out by a newly formed alliance—a partnership among organizations including the Chicago Park District, Friends of the Parks, and local schools, museums, conservation groups, and community organizations.
The plan was later supported by a grant from the Lila Wallace-Reader’s Digest Fund, which provided $1.46 million in challenge funding. The grant required a one-to-one match, with at least 60% from private funds. The Chicago Park District committed to covering the 40% public share.
The Conservatory Through Changing Times
At the end of the 19th century, the three large western parks each had small conservatories and propagation greenhouses. After twenty years of use, these greenhouses had fallen into disrepair, and park managers saw no need to display similar plant collections at three such close locations.
In 1905, Jens Jensen, the general superintendent and chief landscape designer of Chicago’s West Park Commission, demolished the three smaller greenhouses in Humboldt, Douglas, and Garfield Parks to create what he called “the world’s largest public conservatory” in Garfield Park. Many original plants came from these three early greenhouses.
The Garfield Park Conservatory was built between 1906 and 1907 and opened to the public in 1908. It was designed by Jensen in collaboration with Prairie School architects Schmidt, Garden and Martin, and the New York engineering firm Hitchings and Company. It represents a unique partnership among a distinguished landscape designer, architects, and engineers.
Jensen envisioned the conservatory as a series of natural landscapes under glass—a revolutionary concept at the time. The structural forms were simple and sturdy, meant to evoke Midwestern haystacks and to shelter the plants and foliage inside.
Located in the historic Garfield Park on Chicago’s West Side, the Garfield Park Conservatory is one of Chicago’s best-kept treasures and one of America’s botanical gems. It is one of Chicago’s most unique attractions, drawing visitors from diverse cultures, fields, and interests.
Both Garfield Park and its conservatory are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Over the years, the greenhouse has been recognized as an internationally important horticultural facility and a cultural landmark for the surrounding area and the entire city of Chicago.
A Devastating Hailstorm
On June 30, 2011, a hailstorm caused catastrophic damage to the Garfield Park Conservatory, shattering the roof glass of the historic Fern Room, more than ten propagation greenhouses, and the Desert House. Broken glass covered the paths, ponds, and plants in the Fern Room, Desert House, and propagation houses, and glass fragments dangled from the roof, creating serious hazards.
Through the tireless efforts of staff, the broken glass was removed, and damaged roofs were temporarily replaced with polycarbonate panels to maintain a stable indoor environment and protect the plants. Rebuilding these roofs required significant manpower, resources, and time. In the summer of 2012, the park completed partial restoration. The Fern Room and Desert House were the last projects finished, in early 2015.
Exhibition Rooms at the Conservatory
Whether it’s the food we eat or the oxygen we breathe, we are connected to plants every moment. The Garfield Park Conservatory’s mission is to transform lives through the power of nature. Over more than 100 years, the park’s managers have continuously pursued these goals, even aiming higher. They cultivate a variety of exotic plants in stunning natural settings, creating a “Chicago backyard.” The plant groups and species at the conservatory keep growing and evolving, with new specimens and hybrids added, and display rooms rotated several times a year. Let me briefly list a few main exhibition rooms:
Outdoor Gardens
The ten-acre outdoor gardens include a City Garden, a Demonstration Garden, a Sensory Garden, an Artists’ Garden, and more.
Palm House
This is the largest exhibition room in the entire conservatory, 65 feet high and 90 feet wide. It features a beautiful tropical landscape with over 70 species of palm trees and other plants from tropical habitats around the world.
Fern Room
Jens Jensen designed this greenhouse in 1906 to give visitors a glimpse of what Illinois looked like millions of years ago. The lush ferns, exposed rock formations, and indoor lagoon easily evoke the prehistoric swamp landscape of Chicago.
Aroid House
If you are an indoor gardener, you’ll surely recognize some plants here, as many aroids are popular houseplants. The diverse tree-like aroids are arranged to create a landscape painting. One striking feature is the “Persian Pool,” specially designed for the Aroid House by world-renowned glass artist Chihuly, with sixteen yellow water lily pads.
Desert House
The Desert House holds the region’s most diverse collection of cacti and succulents. These plants are popular for their spectacular and unique forms, brilliant but short-lived flowers, and their ability to withstand harsh dry conditions. The plants here range from tiny living stones to large century plants.
These rooms are more than just attractions; they are cultural symbols. They carry on the legacy of founder Jens Jensen, who believed that “the country must come to the city,” sustaining an oasis within the urban environment by planting in greenhouses and outdoor gardens. Whether you want to learn more about plants or simply appreciate their beauty, I strongly recommend visiting the Garfield Park Conservatory to witness its horticultural wonders, because there is no other Garfield Park Conservatory on Earth.
Conservatory Visitor Guide
Address: 300 N. Central Park Ave, Chicago, IL 60624
Transportation: Take the Green Line to the Conservatory station. The entrance is just north of Lake Street.
Parking: Free parking is available in the lot south of the conservatory entrance. There is a bike rack and bike station in front of the building on Central Park Avenue.
