Garfield Park Conservatory: Prairie Haystacks Full of Rare Plants

The Garfield Park Conservatory at 300 N Central Park Avenue on Chicago's West Side is one of the largest public botanical conservatories in the nation. Designed in 1906 by landscape architect Jens Jensen, who modeled the greenhouse structures on the organic curves of prairie haystacks rather than the formal glass boxes typical of Victorian conservatories, the building covers two acres under glass and contains plant collections of international significance. The fern room evokes the swampy, prehistoric landscape of the Chicago region, the palm house has tall palms under a vaulted ceiling, and the desert house holds one of the region's most varied collections of cacti and succulents. Jensen's design philosophy held that a conservatory should evoke a natural landscape rather than a labeled collection, so plants are arranged in dense groupings that reward wandering rather than systematic reading of plaques. Admission is free for Chicago residents. The conservatory sits within Garfield Park, designed in the 1870s by William Le Baron Jenney (who later designed the world's first steel-frame skyscraper). It is open Wednesday through Sunday; check current hours before visiting.