Great Greenhouses of Pennsylvania: Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens

Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens| One Schenley Park | Pittsburgh, PA 15213

About Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens

Henry W. Phipps was a contemporary of two better-known Pittsburgh titans of industry—Henry Clay Frick and Andrew Carnegie. Extremely successful as an industrialist and entrepreneur, he decided relatively early in life to give back to the world, especially to the working class. His creation of the Phipps Conservatory was a gift to the city of Pittsburgh in 1893. Its original nine rooms were built by the famous New York firm of Lord and Burnham at a cost of $100,000. Additional rooms were added, and by 1902, the original conservatory had grown to thirteen rooms. The glasshouses were renewed and remodeled throughout the 20^th century due to the ravages of time, damaging storms, donations and hybridizations of plants, and changing concepts of floral and botanical display.

In 2005, a new Welcome Center opened to the public. The design complemented the original Victorian structure while providing functionality for today's visitors. It was deemed a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Silver certification. The Tropical Forest Conservatory opened in late 2006. It is a huge space at 12,000 square feet with a ceiling height of 60 feet. It was the most energy-efficient structure of its kind when it opened. Now, the Conservatory has 14 rooms and more than 55,000 square feet of indoor gardens. Though not open to the public, a new Production Greenhouse opened in 2012 behind the Conservatory, providing 36,000 square feet to grow plants for display and to house valuable collections. The greenhouses achieved LEED® Platinum for Existing Buildings, a rare honor.

The original mission of Phipps was to be a "source of instruction as well as pleasure." It still fulfills that mission today. One can get great pleasure from walking through the greenhouse and outdoor garden spaces. All senses are engaged. Observe the varied structures of plants, the beauty of their flowers, the enormity of the palms, and the plethora that Mother Nature offers. Smell the flowers blooming. Feel the moist, rich air in the tropical areas and the dry heat of the desert room. Enjoy the colorful Chihuly glass sculptures that adorn several rooms, along with sculptures from other glass artists. Phipps provides an extensive selection of classes and programs for adults and children throughout the year. Special educational lectures and events are often scheduled. Peruse the selection online. Many classes and programs are now given virtually.

Visit Phipps in every season, as exhibits change with the season. The Winter Flower Show and Winter Light Garden are not to be missed. The Spring Flower Show is followed by the Summer Flower Show and then the Fall Flower Show. Butterflies flutter throughout the Stove Room from April through mid-September.

Several outdoor spaces are part of Phipps, including the Japanese Courtyard Garden, Rooftop Edible Garden, Children's Discovery Garden, and the large garden appropriately named The Outdoor Garden.  Summer and Fall are good times to see the outdoor gardens in their full glory. Phipps has a wonderful selection of plants that live outdoors, both in the ground and in pots.  The dwarf conifer collection in the Outdoor Garden and the hardy bonsai in the Japanese Courtyard Garden are well worth exploring.

Indoor Display Areas

Rooms that change a great deal with seasonal exhibits include the East Room, Serpentine Room, Sunken Garden, Victoria Room, Gallery Room, and the South Conservatory. The following rooms have more of a fixed structure of plantings, with many important species. See if you can find many examples of tropical bonsai.

The Palm Court is a Victorian-inspired room with high glass peaks and many species of palms. Glass installations by Dale Chihuly are nestled among the plants.

The Stove Room contains tropical plants. From spring to fall, this room is turned into the Butterfly Forest. Children of all ages can view the beautiful butterflies as they flutter among the glossy foliage and bright flowers.

The Fern Room contains these very primitive types of plants, including tree ferns, ground plants, and cycads, including Munch's cycad (Encephalartos munchii) and the queen sago (Cycas circinalis).

The Orchid Room contains a variety of orchids, including one of the world's most inclusive slipper orchid collections, the Barbara Tisherman Slipper Orchid Collection. Also in the room are straight species and hybrids of many other genera of orchids. Something is blooming every day of the year.

The Desert Room contains various species of desert plants that thrive in the hot deserts of the southwestern U.S., northern Mexico, and Africa. Included are the saguaro cactus (Carnegiea gigantea), Joshua tree (Yucca brevifolia), and sunrise tequila agave (Agave tequilana 'Sunrise'). Dale Chihuly's spectacular glass chandelier, the Desert Gold Star, hangs from the ceiling. 

The Broderie Room is meant to evoke the formal gardens of French chateaux during the reign of Louis XIV. Weddings are scheduled in this venue.

The Tropical Fruit and Spice Room contains, as the name suggests, fruits, nuts, and spices from tropical and sub-tropical regions around the world, including citrus fruits, papayas, cinnamon, bananas, allspice, and coffee. A Dale Chihuly glass sculpture in purple and celadon sparkles in the center of the room.

The Tropical Forest Conservatory has trees that soar almost to the top of the 60-foot-tall ceilings. It currently features the region of Hawaii but changes every three years. Visitors wander through the multiple-level space on winding pathways, passing waterfalls, interesting tropical flora, a fish pond, and interactive learning stations. 

Visiting Phipps

The conservatory and gardens are open daily, except for certain holidays. Hours vary based on exhibits, so check the website. Initially free to the public, it is now run by a non-profit, and admission is charged. Memberships are available.  Timed tickets are advisable for popular shows like the Phipps Holiday Magic. Some free parking is available in front of the conservatory. Plenty of paid parking is on the street and in nearby lots and garages.

All of the gardens are wheelchair accessible, except for the Stove Room. No pets, except for service animals, are allowed in the Conservatory.

As you enter the LEED Certified Welcome Center, the Shop at Phipps is on the left, and the Café Phipps is on the right. Both are worth a visit. The shop boasts of ever-changing botanically-themed "treasures," many from local artists and designers. The assortment of books, jewelry, home-décor, plants, and games gives way to holiday decorations of all kinds leading up to the December holidays. The café has several environmentally sustainable certificates, and its mission is to offer clean, fresh food with a focus on organic and/or local produce, much from Phipps' own gardens.

The Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens is located within walking distance to a number of must-visit destinations. Just across the Schenley Bridge sits the complex that includes the Main Carnegie Library, The Carnegie Museum of Natural History, and The Carnegie Museum of Art. Andrew Carnegie was a late-in-life major philanthropist, funding the building of 1689 Carnegie Libraries in towns across the United States and many more in other countries. The conservatory is also within walking distance of two universities. Visit the Nationality Rooms in the Cathedral of Learning or Heinz Memorial Chapel at The University of Pittsburgh. Stroll through Carnegie Mellon University (CMU).  The Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation, on the CMU campus, houses the largest collection of botanical drawings in the world. The Hunt is literally across the street and through a small park area from the Conservatory.  

The Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens is a world-class greenhouse. Include it on your list of botanical places to visit in Pennsylvania.  Even Andrew Carnegie approved of Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens. He wrote in The Gospel of Wealth, "I think Mr. Phipps put his money to better use in giving the working-men of Allegheny conservatories filled with beautiful flowers, orchids, and aquatic plants, which they, with their wives and children, can enjoy in their spare hours, and upon which they can feed their love for the beautiful, than if he had given his surplus money to furnish them with bread."