PITTSBURGH Phipps Conservatory begins renovation in hopes of boosting annual attendance

A new welcome center, cafe and tropical conservatory with waterfall are planned.
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, one of the nation's best places to view orchids and bonsai, has launched a $36.6 million expansion to bring the 110-year-old Victorian glass house even more prestige.
The Pittsburgh conservatory started by industrialist Henry Phipps began its first major renovation last week by relocating two 40,000-pound Dawn Redwood trees to make room for a new entrance way. An official groundbreaking ceremony was held Monday.
"It's really going to put Phipps on the map as one of the finest conservatories in the country," Phipps executive director Richard Piacentini said. "It's certainly one of the most beautiful conservatories in the country."
The American Association of Botanical Gardens and Arboreta estimates 50 million Americans visit arboretums, botanical gardens and display gardens each year. Phipps is hoping to tap the interest of horticultural enthusiasts and boost annual attendance from 170,000 to 250,000, Piacentini said.
Modern amenities
Considered one of the nation's premier botanical display houses, along with the likes of Longwood Gardens outside Philadelphia and Garfield Park Conservatory in Chicago, Phipps officials say the expansion will bring modern amenities to the historical 43,500-square-foot glass house.
When the first of two phases is complete in fall 2004, visitors will enter the building's main glass dome through a sloping walkway that leads to a semicircular plaza featuring Romanesque pillars. Once under the glass dome, a new 10,885-square-foot welcome center will include a 75-seat cafe, a larger gift shop, lockers, elevators and restrooms.
Besides the new entrance, construction will likely begin in 2004 on eight production houses and a new tropical forest conservatory -- a 12,000-square-foot addition that will be highlighted by an indoor waterfall.
Other plans include building a new special events pavilion, a two-story education and administration building that will connect the existing facility by a skywalk, expanded parking and adding six buses.
Money maker
Piacentini predicts the expansion will help the conservatory grow another kind of green. He estimates the project will increase the current budget of $4.5 million by bringing in an additional $2 million in revenue.
"The special events facility will be right up against the tropical forest conservatory and provide a fabulous view so I think it's going to be very popular and generate a lot of revenue for our operations," Piacentini said.
So far, the conservatory has raised $27.2 million from private donors, corporations, foundations and commitments from the state. The conservatory had originally planned to build a parking garage but that plan was shelved because of costs, officials said.
Elsewhere
Phipps isn't the only glass house being spruced up. The Conservatory of Flowers in San Francisco and the U.S. Botanic Garden in Washington, D.C., both recently underwent renovations, said Sharon Lee, deputy director of the botanical association.
"It's all part of trying to make sure that a garden is an all-season destination. It means people come and find something interesting in the winter months," Lee said.