Overview

Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens is a botanical garden and conservatory located in Columbus, Ohio. It is open daily and an admission fee is charged. Today, it is a horticultural and educational institution showcasing exotic plant collections, special exhibitions, and Dale Chihuly artworks.
The conservatory contains more than 400 plant species. Biomes representing global climate zones include: Himalayan Mountains, Tropical Rainforest, Desert, and Pacific Island Water Garden. Additional plant collections include a Bonsai Courtyard, Showhouse with evental displays, orchids and tropical bonsai collections, and Palm House with more than 40 species of palms. The conservatory is set within the Franklin Park neighborhood, and surrounded by Franklin Park, the 88-acre city park of the same name. The conservatory was built in 1895 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. It was added to the new Columbus Near East Side District in 1978.
The state fair occupied the site until 1884, when it moved to a new location north of Columbus. With the change, the lot was abandoned. But on May 17, 1886, the site was officially revived when the Ohio State Legislature passed a resolution declaring it open for use as a public park. In 1893, the Chicago’s World Fair and Columbian Exposition was an immensely influential social and cultural event. It inspired the city of Columbus to create a horticulture building modeled after the Exposition’s Glass Palace. This glass structure, built in the grand Victorian style, was erected in Franklin Park and opened to the public in 1895 as the Franklin Park Conservatory. From 1895 to 1989, Columbus Recreation and Parks Department owned and operated the conservatory. Unfortunately, little is known about the conservatory’s earliest days, as a fire in Columbus City Hall destroyed its records in 1921. Much of the conservatory’s history has been documented from newspapers and personal written accounts. For a short period starting in 1927, animals were kept in the lower rooms of the conservatory. In 1929, these animals left the conservatory and became part of the first Columbus Zoo and Aquarium. Over time, the facility developed a reputation for horticultural excellence and the display of rare and unusual plants. The conservatory also became a popular location for family gatherings, weddings, and other events. In 1974, in recognition of the conservatory’s historic and architectural merit, the original glass structure, today known as the Palm House, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The conservatory and park during AmeriFlora ’92. In 1992, Columbus hosted AmeriFlora ’92 and chose Franklin Park and the conservatory as the host site for this six-month international horticulture exposition. Renovation of the historic Palm House and a $14 million expansion began in 1989. Additions to the conservatory totaled 58,000 square feet and included expanded plant collections.