Garfield Park Conservatory Reopens All Rooms
By Samantha Abernethy in News on Jan 23, 2012 10:40PM
It took nearly seven months of fundraising and repairs, but the Garfield Park Conservatory finally reopened in full after patching up the damage from last summer's hail storm. The last two affected rooms—the Aroid House and Desert House—opened yesterday during its Chinese New Year's celebration with dragon procession.
About 60 percent of the storm's damage affected the Fern Room, which is more than 100 years old. That room reopened in December.
Clean-up has cost about $2 million. Shards of glass were removed by hand—some of which has been turned into art—and soil had to be replaced. The repairs aren't done yet. The greenhouse still requires some glass replacements. We posted this video last summer that shows the extent of the damage. Fundraising efforts are ongoing.