Volunteer Park Conservatory

Made up of 3,426 glass panes fit into a wood and iron framework, this Victorian-style greenhouse structure is modeled on London's Crystal Palace.

Inside, the Volunteer Park Conservatory is divided into five display houses: bromeliads, ferns, palms, seasonal, and cacti/succulents.

The conservatory's Bromeliad House features its epiphytes on a special iron display tree holding dozens of different Tillandsia species.

A fern is any plant classified in the phylum or division Pteridophyta (also known as Filicophyta), a group composed of roughly 20,000 species.

This house within the conservatory does not feature a single plant family but is instead changed over completely six times per year.

In addition to palms, cycads, and orchids, visitors will find banana (Musa), Bird of Paradise (Strelitzia), Anthurium and ginger (Zingiberaceae) in this house.

The conservatory's orchid collection, which began as a gift from Mrs. Anna H. Clise in 1921, is also found in the Palm House.

The lunette or "peacock window" over the main entry is the only original wood and glass piece remaining from 1912 after two renovations.

In 1878, the City of Seattle spent $2,000 to acquire approximately 45 acres (180,000 m2) on north Capitol Hill from a sawmill engineer.

After the project was proposed in 1893, the City of Seattle purchased the conservatory design and framework from the Hitchings Company of New York.

By 1978, the Conservatory's glass panes and framework of wood and iron had deteriorated and, during high winds, the building was forced to close.

Working in partnership with the Seattle Department of Parks and Recreation, the FOC sponsored an architectural restoration of the Conservatory that took place between 1980 and 1985.

The FOC also assists the conservatory in organizing and hosting events, such as open houses and plant sales.