The Oldest Remaining Municipal Wooden Conservatory in the U.S.

“It was done by Miss Scarlet, in the Conservatory, with the lead pipe.” Miss Scarlet was so beautiful; she could get away with anything, including murder. The Conservatory, well, I had never been inside a Conservatory before, so where better to “do someone in”? And yes, it was always the lead pipe, no matter how many times I played the board game of Clue, the lead pipe was the murder weapon more often than not.

As a child, I didn’t have any electronic games, so my friends and I enveloped ourselves for hours on end playing board games. I loved the game Clue-- I loved the mystery, and I loved the fancy-schmancy house that it took place in. So this past summer as we were exiting the northeast side of Golden Gate Park I couldn’t believe it when I saw my “Clue Conservatory”-- an elegant white Victorian jewel-box sitting majestically on a green velvety hill. We didn’t have time to stop, but I knew we had to come back someday. And, since this was “Someday Summer”, we did.

It took us about a month before we were able to return to the Conservatory of Flowers in Golden Gate Park. But, it was well worth the wait and the long trip back up to the big city. If you have never been inside a Conservatory, come along with me, I’ll share with you what I discovered!

The architecture of this building is spectacular. This elaborate greenhouse has a central dome rising nearly 60 feet and the surrounding walls are made up of 16,800 window panes.


With construction completed in 1878, the 12,000 square-foot greenhouse remains the oldest existing glass and wood conservatory in the United States. The building and grounds look as if they were snatched from a fairytale. The 1,700 rare and exotic plants inside the building continue the illusion.



Each of the five "rooms" in the Conservatory has a particular focus with its horticultural exhibits and floral displays. Four galleries have permanent displays: Lowland Tropics, Highland Tropics, Aquatic Plants, and Potted Plants; while the fifth room houses changing exhibits. Today, to the delight of my daughter and her friend, the fifth room contained carnivorous plants.

The Lowland Tropics exhibit is the first gallery you see as you enter the Conservatory. Above and below are a couple of photos of that area.

We then made our way to the East, through the Highland Tropics gallery.

We had a difficult time taking photos once we reached the Aquatic Plants room since it was so incredibly humid there, our camera lense kept fogging up. The humidity also made it uncomfortable to stay too long. That said, this really was my favorite gallery because of the giant water lilies, native to the Amazon River in Brazil. These lily pads can grow up to six feet in diameter, and have been known to support the weight of a small child.

After feeling like we have had a steam bath, we headed back the direction we came, to see the Potted Plant room.

The photo below describes the photo of the Penging Garden above.

Above, the Carnivorous Plants gallery. I think the employee working in that area was upset with the girls (smiling mischevously below) because they went around and poked all of the Venusfly Traps, causing them all to close.


What a dazeling array of rare and endangered tropical plant species. I have learned that the Convervatory of Flowers is an amazing living muesum of gorgeous plants from all over the world. So now you know what can be inside a Conservatory, are you up for a game of Clue? I think I hear Col. Mustard calling . . . I'm coming Colonel . . .


For more information about the Conservatory of Flowers go to:

http://www.golden-gate-park.com/index.php/attractions/conservatory_of_flowers

http://www.conservatoryofflowers.org/atconservatory