Wilder Park Conservatory
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Wilder Park Conservatory is a conservatory and botanical garden located in Wilder Park at 225 Prospect Avenue, Elmhurst, Illinois. Situated on a 6 acre lot, the conservatory shares the land with three green houses (not open to the public), the open air Elizabeth Gardens, and the Wilder mansion. The wilder mansion was the former location of the Elmhurst Public Library but it was recently (3/2008) demolished.
The Conservatory is open daily from 8am to 4pm. Admittance is free, but donations are welcome. Please note that the Conservatory is fairly small. The conservatory is a one room tropical house. A mature Pachypodium and a tree Opuntia are the highlights. The conservatory also features a small pond with gold fish. It is a good idea to pair your visit to the Conservatory with one to the Lazzadro Museum just around the corner, the new Elmhurst Public Library, or the Elmhurst Art Museum. The conservatory is also directly across the street from Elmhurst College's Schaible Science Center.
The conservatory's origins date back to 1868, when Seth Wadhams purchased a treeless farm, planting trees and building a greenhouse for his wife (still in use today). Subsequent owners continued to develop the site's gardens. The property was transferred to city ownership around 1920, and in 1923 the Elmhurst Park District Board added a conservatory to the original greenhouse. In 1926 a second greenhouse was added.
