Preserving the Past with an Eye to the Future:
Phipps Conservatory
A green oasis in the middle of Pittsburgh’s Oakland neighborhood, Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens produces breathtaking seasonal flower shows and supports stunning outdoor botanical gardens, which are open to the public year-round. The Phipps strives to connect people to nature’s beauty, nurture an appreciation for the diversity of life, and instill a responsibility to preserve it. Even as it transforms this remarkable Pittsburgh icon—adding state-of-the-art exhibit, education, and visitor spaces—with an eye toward the future, the Phipps understands the need to burnish the 125-year- old historic jewel, the Glasshouse.
A $5 million grant from the Foundation—in support of the Phipps’ $41.5-million capital campaign—will fund improvements to the Victorian-era Glasshouse, making it safer and more energy efficient. When completed, it will serve as an international model of modern green construction and energy technologies that also meets standards for historic restoration. The Foundation funding also will create a Living Campus at the Center for Sustainable Landscapes.
(Above)To commemorate the Phipps’ 125th anniversary, the Glasshouse is being restored to sustain it for future generations. The renovation includes replacement of the glass panes as well as a recreation of the conservatory’s ogee crest, lost during a storm in 1937.
Featured Grants
$5,000,000
toward capital projects to complete the Living Campus as well as restore the nineteenth-century glasshouse complex
$5,000,000
toward support of the capital campaign, Pittsburgh's Living Building at Phipps
$1,500,000
toward support of the Year of Glass venues to be held in 2007 including the "Chihuly at Phipps: Gardens and Glass" exhibit
$112,000
toward support of renovations in Mellon Park
$187,500
toward support to bring the Chihuly glass exhibition to Phipps in 2007
$50,000
toward support of renovations in Mellon Park
$170,000
toward support to complete fencing around Mellon Park
$3,000,000
toward support of a capital campaign to construct a visitors/education centers, dining rooms, classrooms and meeting places
$100,000
toward support of operations pending funding from the Allegheny Regional Asset District in 1995
$5,000
toward support of a master plan for restoration and operation of the Conservancy
$75,000
toward support for the restoration of Phipps Conservancy