CHAPTER 8The Conservatory proper

All photos in this chapter are © by Joe Konz 

Those who know the Garfield Park Conservatory know that its main attractions are inside. But the outside -- the structures on the premises -- are important, too.

The original conservatory in Garfield Park was designed and built in 1916 by German landscape architect George Kessler. By the mid-1950s, its condition had deteriorated, so the current structure, designed by the architectural firm Burns and Burns,  was built along with the first all-welded greenhouse in the country. The greenhouse has provided plants to all the city parks and parkways.  

Inside, in the atrium, is where the conservatory hosts its sundry plant, flower and other horticultural programs, shows and displays. This includes, or has included, an annual Spring Bulb Show, an annual  Orchid Show, a fall Chrysanthemum Show and the yuletide Conservatory Crossing/Candlelight Crossing, just to name a few of the most popular. 

I attended and photographed several of the Spring Bulb shows and one each of the orchid and chrysanthemum shows in the first decade of the new millennium. In fact, some of my favorite florals in my portfolio were made at those bulb and orchid shows, including the shot below of the gorgeous tulips from the Spring Bulbs show in 2007. These far and away have remained my favorite tulip; my problem is that I cannot seem to find these exact bulbs anywhere to plant on my own property. 

Please note that you can click on any photo to see a larger and sharper version.

Deeper into the conservatory, past the atrium, is where visitors can view tropical plants and trees found in the world’s rain forests ... and feel the warm and humid climates in which these plants and trees thrive. Images of some of those plants and trees will be part of tomorrow’s Chapter 9 of the series.

But I begin this section with a couple shots of the conservatory’s exterior, a striking limestone edifice, whose use of windows seem to invite visitors to indulge their curiosity about what’s inside. That is followed by more images from the Spring Bulb and orchid shows I photographed. 

SPRING BULBS

ORCHIDS

 

As orchids go, the shot above from the 2007 show remains my favorite, probably because the tilted angle I used to make the composition gave me the impression it looked like the flower was a flying aircraft making an approach somewhere or an attack on something. 

White flowers can be difficult to photograph in a way that pleases the shooter. But after working with the white orchid image below in photo-editing software, I was able to preserve some of the details of the petals themselves while not damaging the bloom’s center focus of the composition.

CHRYSANTHEMUMS

The Conservatory also has had autumn mum shows, and photos below are from the 2007 rendition of the show. 

It was at the 2010 show that I captured the low-perspective shot seen below in the Conservatory atrium, another of my favorites in my sundry Garfield Park explorations. I’m pretty sure I was lying on my belly when I composed and made this image.

Next up, Chapter 9: The Conservatory's permanent tropical plants and rain forest exhibit

Previously in the Garfield Park in Pictures series:

Introduction

Chapter 1: “America, We Remember”

Chapter 2: The Garfield Park Arts Center

Chapter 3: Bean Creek and Pleasant Run

Chapter 4: New Bean Creek pedestrian bridge

Chapter 5: Blake’s Garden

Chapter 6: Burrello Family Center and James Garfield statue

Chapter 7: Conservatory Crossing yuletide decorations