Introduction 
ARFIELD Park Conservatory is the largest publicly owned 
conservatory in the United States, and has been widely ac- 
claimed as the most beautiful. Nowhere else in the whole 
world has an attempt ever been made to build greenhouses for the 
exhibition of exotic plants in a public park with public funds on such 
a large scale. 
The Conservatory is under the jurisdiction of the West Park 
Board. The West Park Board is a distinct municipality in itself, 
independent of the City of Chicago, with absolute control over the 
parks, playgrounds, and boulevards under its jurisdiction. It is com- 
posed of seven members, appointed by the Governor of the State. 
It derives its powers from the State. It is maintained by a yearly 
tax levy, equal to a certain percentage of the total tax valuation levied 
upon the property in the West Chicago Park District. 
Prior to 1905, each of the large West Chicago Parks—Humboldt, 
Garfield, and Douglas, had its own conservatory and propagating 
houses. As these buildings were all old and beyond repair, new build- 
ings had to be considered. The West Park Board decided to reduce 
maintenance and other costs by erecting one great conservatory instead 
of three smaller ones, and Garfield Park was selected as the site for the 
new structure. The present building was designed by Hitchings & 
Company, of New York City, and was erected at an approximate cost 
of $276,000. It was completed in 1907. 
The greatest height of the Conservatory is 65 feet. It contains 
68,055 square feet of floor space, and a cubic content of 1,927,400 
cubic feet. It is roofed over by 104,700 square feet of glass. 26,738 
square feet of steam radiation are required for its heating. Its heating 
plant has a capacity of 1,000 horse power. 
About a half million people visit the Conservatory each year. 
The greatest attendance is during the three large annual exhibitions— 
the Chrysanthemum Show, the Christmas exhibition, and the Easter 
exhibition. The Conservatory can accommodate 4,500 visitors at a 
time without crowding, and hopes eventually to have an annual attend- 
ance of several millions. The largest single daily attendance yet re- 
corded is for November 11, 1923, when 33,981 visitors were counted 
on entering. 
The Conservatory contains about 300,000 specimens, representing 
about 3,000 species and varieties of plants. These are grouped, in 
the main, according to plant families—a most logical way of arranging 
them, but one not in effect in any other large collection anywhere in 
the world, so far as is known. The total value of the collection is well 
over a million dollars. 
