Phipps' 2010 Decade in Review | Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens

Dec 30

2019

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Phipps’ 2010 Decade in Review

By Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens

As 2019 draws to a close, we decided to take a look back at the past decade and remember some of the highlights we've experienced at Phipps. From opening three of the greenest buildings in the world, to welcoming filmmaker George Romero during the first corpse flower bloom, and all of the many stunning seasonal flower shows that came in between, it has been an exciting decade in the Conservatory! We look forward to even more excitement and accomplishments in the next ten years.

2010

Summer Flower Show: Gargoyles in the Garden
In this exciting show, brilliant annuals stood side by side with stone gargoyles, gothic architecture and other fabulously folkloric garden denizens. The show included collaborations with local artists Tolin FX, Kevin Wenner and Joshua Space.

2011

Let's Move Pittsburgh Launches
Let's Move Pittsburgh launched in October 2011 as a healthy lifestyles program of Phipps, bringing together organizations, healthcare providers, educators, parents and caregivers in southwestern Pennsylvania to lead children toward a healthier future. Since then, LMP has developed robust programming, including monthly family fitness classes, annual Champion Schools grants, symposium and speaker series, and much more. Visit letsmovepittsburgh.org to view current events and programs.

2012

Center for Sustainable Landscapes Opens
The Center for Sustainable Landscapes opened on Dec. 5, 2012 and quickly distinguished Phipps as a leader in green buildings. It was the first and remains the only building to meet four of the highest green building certifications: Living Building Challenge, LEED Platinum, SITES Platinum and WELL Building Platinum. The CSL set the stage for future green buildings that would be constructed on Phipps' campus and serves as a real world model and inspiration for people from all over the world as a building that operates in harmony with nature.

Winter Light Garden Debuts
In 2012, Winter Flower Show opened alongside the first-ever Winter Light Garden. The outdoor light displays grew to become one of the show's most popular annual features, becoming brighter and brighter as new features are added each year.

2013

Homegrown Launches
In an effort to extend Phipps' mission beyond our glasshouse walls, the Homegrown program was launched — a program dedicated to increasing community access to fresh produce, promoting better food choices and improving the overall health of families and children. To date, over 225 raised-bed vegetable gardens have been installed at households in underserved neighborhoods. Homegrown began in Homewood — where gardens were installed in almost one in every 10 households — and has since expanded to the neighborhoods of Larimer, Lincoln-Lemington, Belmar and East Hills.

Romero the Corpse Flower Blooms
In August 2013, all previous Phipps attendance records were shattered when our corpse flower — affectionately named Romero — attracted more than 12,000 visitors during its 48-hour bloom-and-stink period. Among those visitors was the plant's legendary namesake, filmmaker George A. Romero, whose famous Night of the Living Dead movie was filmed in and around Pittsburgh. To everyone's surprise, Romero would bloom again just three years later, and a "sister" plant, named Barbara for Living Dead's protagonist, bloomed for the first time in 2017.

2014

Spring Flower Show: Rhythm and Bulbs
Musical genres from swing and blues to rock 'n roll provided the theme for this show. Exhibits featured whimsical sculptures, planters made out of up-cycled instruments and arrangements of blooms designed to mimic the rise and fall of musical notes. Popular recordings were played in the rooms, adding to the multi-sensory experience.

Summer Flower Show
In this fun summer show, the miniature world of Garden Railroad expanded to fill room after room with tiny trains, villages, mountains and more, all accentuated by sensational summer flora of all sizes.

2015

The Nature Lab at Phipps Opens
The next milestone in Phipps' green building journey was the unveiling of the Nature Lab at Phipps. One of the nation's first sustainable, modular classroom spaces, the Nature Lab serves a dual purpose as a learning laboratory and an innovative, replicable model for healthy learning spaces. The building features non-toxic materials, generates its own energy and recycles water on site. It shows what healthy spaces look like for kids and calls attention to the importance of providing healthy learning environments for children. In May 2017, the Nature Lab achieved the esteemed Living Building Challenge Petal Certification from the International Living Future Institute.

Summer Flower Show: Weird and Wonderful
Phipps showcased some of Earth's most colorful and curious botanical specimens, from the spiny ceiba tree and carnivorous pitcher plant to the beautiful blue sea holly. Highlighting the diverse characteristics that help certain flowers, trees and shrubs to survive, the show took a look at some of the most fascinating examples of nature's handiwork.

2016

Spring Flower Show: Masterpieces in Bloom
The works of famous artists were brought to life through vivid botanical renderings in this blockbuster show, including Edmund Leighton's "Lady in a Garden," Claude Monet's "Tulip Field in Holland," Mary Cassatt's "The Boating Party" and more.

Garden Railroad: 200 Years of Pittsburgh
This year's Garden Railroad exhibit celebrated Pittsburgh's 200th anniversary with a miniature Duquesne Incline, Three Rivers Stadium, Forbes Field, KDKA Radio Tower, Cathedral of Learning and more.

2017

Phipps Hosts First One Health One Planet^TM Symposium
Scientists, medical and public health professionals, animal health professionals, ecologists, architecture and green building professionals, community officials and organizers, educators, and students came together on April 4 – 5, 2017 for the very first One Health One Planet Symposium at Phipps. The first in what would become an annual symposium explored the interconnectedness of environmental, human and animal health and examined the relationship between health and the built and natural environments in which we live, work, learn and play. Subsequent symposia have drawn sold-out crowds to explore the topics of Chemicals of Concern in the Environment, the Future of Food and, in 2020, Air Quality. Learn more at phipps.conservatory.org/OneHealth.

SUPER. NATURAL. Glass Art by Jason Gamrath
Following in the footsteps of blockbuster Phipps glass shows by Dale Chihuly and others, Jason Gamrath's SUPER. NATURAL. brought an exciting twist to the art form, showcasing glass orchids, Venus fly traps, pitcher plants and other stunning specimens that were remarkably accurate representations of their living counterparts — only on a massive scale, standing anywhere from six to 14 feet tall. The show filled the glasshouse rooms with more than 40 major installations, each of which was carefully selected for its specific room and location, and many of which were custom made for Phipps. Extended evening hours and a plant changeout for the fall season gave guests a number of exciting ways to see this show during its six-month run.

Winter Flower Show and Light Garden: Holiday Magic!
The dazzling displays of this year's record-breaking holiday show presented heartwarming vignettes, including an extravagant winter feast, Santa's workshop and sparkling New Year's celebration.In addition to all-new indoor displays, the show was updated with exciting new features including new "aurora borealis" architectural lighting in the Sunken Garden to mirror the lighting in the Serpentine Room.

2018

The Ogee Returns!
In celebration of the 125th anniversary, Phipps restored the Palm Court glass roof. In addition to a pane-by-pane restoration, Phipps also recreated the original ogee crest for the first time since it was removed after bad storm damage in 1937. To sponsor a pane of glass in Palm Court, visit phipps.conservatory.org/Restore.

Fall Flower Show: 125 Years of Wonder
Fall Flower Show: 125 Years of Wonder took guests on a nostalgic journey through some of the most magical, whimsical and beloved moments from Phipps history. Showcasing the newly-restored Palm Court, this show featured nostalgic displays, breathtaking chrysanthemums and opportunities for guests to share their favorite Phipps memories.

2019

Phipps Unveils the Exhibit Staging Center
With block wall masonry, a flat roof and no windows, the City of Pittsburgh's former public works building was a typical industrial facility of the 1960s — but it wasn't the kind of building most would associate with sustainable design. In 2019, Phipps transformed this structure into the Exhibit Staging Center (ESC), one of the greenest buildings in the wrold, designed to achieve Living Building Challenge, LEED Platinum and WELL Platinum. The building was designed to be the healthiest possible space for labor workers and grounds crew, who use the building for prop creation and storage. The building also features a yoga studio, fitness center and meditation room to encourage the mental and physical wellness of employees. Learn more at phipps.conservatory.org/ESC.

Summer Flower Show: Van Gogh in Bloom
The work of one of the world's most celebrated and influential visual artists entered an exciting, immersive dimension in Phipps' blockbuster exhibit Van Gogh in Bloom. Phipps' horticulture team masterfully transformed the historic glasshouse with breathtaking reimaginings of the post-impressionist's acclaimed works, including "Starry Night," "Sunflowers," "Houses at Auvers," "Wheat Field with Cypresses" and more.

Fall Flower Show: Japanese Inspirations
Fall Flower Show: Japanese Inspirations took guests on a spectacular journey to experience a celebration of harmony and nature. Each room displayed Japanese-inspired botanical exhibits representing different Japanese festivals. From the 117-foot-long dragon to the floating globes and fluttering ribbons of the wish tree, this show dazzled guests with immersive, colorful displays.