The Anna Scripps Whitcomb Conservatory, also called the Belle Isle Conservatory, is a greenhouse and botanical garden on Belle Isle. Belle Isle is a 982-acre (397-hectare) island park on the Detroit River in Detroit, Michigan. Although the island is near the Canada–United States border, it is completely inside the United States. The park includes 13 acres (5.3 hectares) of land used for the conservatory and its botanical garden.

The Anna Scripps Whitcomb Conservatory opened in 1904. It is the oldest conservatory in the United States that has been running continuously. The conservatory is named after Anna Scripps Whitcomb, who donated her collection of 600 orchids to Detroit in 1955.

History and architecture

The Belle Isle Conservatory and the nearby Belle Isle Aquarium were designed by the well-known company of George D. Mason and Albert Kahn. Construction took place from 1902 to 1904. Kahn created the building based on architectural displays and garden pavilions from the mid- to late-1800s, especially The Crystal Palace and the Palm House at Kew Gardens.

Located in the center of Belle Isle Park, which covers 982 acres (397 hectares), the conservatory spans 13 acres (5.3 hectares). A lily pond is on its north side, and perennial gardens are on the west. The gardens include the Levi L. Barbour Memorial Fountain, designed by sculptor Marshall Fredericks. The Conservatory building has five sections: the Palm House (inside the domed center), the Tropical House (South Wing), the Cactus House and Fernery (North Wing), and the Show House (East Wing). The most notable feature is the central dome, which is 85 feet (26 meters) tall and holds palm trees and other tropical plants.

Originally called the Horticultural Building, the conservatory opened on August 18, 1904. It is now "the oldest, continually operating conservatory in the United States." Soon after opening, it became a popular attraction, drawing an average of 1.5 million visitors each year in the mid-1920s. In 1953, the wooden frame of the central dome was replaced with one made of iron and aluminum. The project cost about $500,000.

In April 1955, Anna Scripps Whitcomb donated her collection of 600 orchids to the conservatory. The building was renamed in her honor on April 6, 1955. Many of these orchids had been saved from Britain during World War II. Because of this donation, the conservatory became "the largest municipally owned orchid collection in the country."

Botany

The Palm house is kept at 70 °F and is located under a dome. It contains many tropical trees and palms, such as the Chinese fan palm (Livistona chinensis), the fishtail palm (Caryota mitis), the umbrella tree (Schefflera actinophylla), and the Canary Island date palm (Phoenix canariensis). If a tree grows too tall for the dome, it must be removed because pruning to reduce height is not possible.

The Tropical house is also maintained at 70 °F. It includes fruiting plants and trees like the common fig, calamondin orange, and bloodleaf banana, as well as tropical flowering plants such as the pink powderpuff (Calliandra brevipes) and peace lily (Spathiphyllum).

The Cactus house is kept at 62 °F and is lined with tufa rock. It holds various cacti and succulents, including jellybeans (Sedum pachyphyllum), the silver dollar cactus (Opuntia robusta), the "old man" cactus (Cephalocereus senilis), and the jade plant (Crassula ovata).

The Fernery is built below ground to create cooler, more humid conditions. Ferns like alsophila grow here, along with a small waterfall in the center. The Show house changes its displays throughout the year and is used for the conservatory's flower shows and special events. The perennial gardens are located outside, to the north of the vestibule.

The lily pond is between the conservatory building and the Belle Isle Aquarium. It was not part of the original design but was built in 1936. The rocky walls were made from 200 tons of moss-covered limestone boulders taken from the construction of the Livingstone Channel in the Detroit River near Amherstburg, Ontario. The pond is home to Japanese koi, which volunteers care for during the year and move to the aquarium basement in winter.

To the east of the conservatory building are 20 greenhouse structures. Fifteen of these are used to care for orchid, bromeliad, cactus, amaryllis, and tropical plant collections. Five greenhouses are used by the Golightly Career and Technical Center's Agriscience Program for high school students in the metro Detroit area. These greenhouses help prepare students for jobs such as greenkeepers, florists, arborists, and nursery owners. The first greenhouse on Belle Isle was built in 1903.

Non-profit involvement & volunteerism

The Anna Scripps Whitcomb Conservatory is free for the public to visit and uses money from local and state governments for its operations. Belle Isle has always received help from private groups and donors. Volunteering is very important for the island park. Four major volunteer groups have helped keep Belle Isle running. Friends of Belle Isle is a non-profit group that started in 1972. It works to keep the island clean and remove plants that harm the environment. In 1988, the Belle Isle Botanical Society began raising money to improve the conservatory. This group also helped by providing volunteers to guide tours, garden, and fund repairs, equipment, and plants for the conservatory. In 2004, the Belle Isle Women's Committee was formed. Its first project was to improve Sunset Point. In 2005, the non-profit Friends of the Belle Isle Aquarium was created to restore the island’s historic aquarium.

In 2009, the four groups worked together to form one new organization that could combine their efforts to help Belle Isle. With help from the Cultural Alliance for Southeastern Michigan and the Michigan Nonprofit Association, they created the Belle Isle Conservancy, a group made up entirely of volunteers. The Kresge Foundation, based in suburban Detroit, gave the groups $100,000 in 2009 and another $100,000 in 2010. Today, the Belle Isle Conservatory has five employees, including one manager and a supervisor from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. These staff members care for the plants in the conservatory and nearby gardens. The conservatory depends on volunteers to handle other tasks and support its work.

Gallery

• Entrance sign
• Anna Scripps Whitcomb Conservatory
• The Henry A. Johnson Memorial Gardens
• Pathway through the Tropical House
• Entrance to the Show House
• Show House (East Wing)
• Ferns
• Example of an information plate at the Conservatory
• Cactus at the Conservatory
• Flowers in the Conservatory