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Dispatch wrote
Lighting project ready to give greenhouse a gemlike glow
Thursday, August 7, 2008
BY TIM FERAN
The Franklin Park Conservatory is ready to shed light — times 7,000 — on its landmark greenhouse.
During a public gathering Friday, artist James Turrell will give an old building a new perspective with a permanent installation that will keep the Palm House glowing colorfully from dusk to dawn daily.
“We’re revealing the extra personality of the building at night,” Turrell said recently during a break from programming the computer-controlled display. In effect, he said, the Victorian-era glass building on E. Broad Street will assume a new persona after the sun sets.
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I’d love for Columbus to have something like that along our river. I’ve spent some time in Shanghai. The area in your photo is called – “The Bund”. Columbus has that potential, but I would simply point out that the aforementioned area in Shanghai has more than some boats and laser light shows. There is an energy along that river (Huan Pu), it’s walkable and a huge area of growth surrounds it. Also worth noting. It’s all happened in the last 10 – 15 years. In 1992 there wasn’t 1 skyscraper in Shanghai.
been there, done drinks at the rooftop jazz bar at the Peace Hotel, which I think used to be the tallest thing on the Bund. it is now apparently being renovated.
my favorite spot was to head down to the rooftop patio at Kathryn’s on 5 in the People’s Park. Order up a nice vodka and tonic around 10:00pm and sit there for 2-hours and watch all of the neon shut down and the city fade to black.
Anybody know how late they’ll keep the lights on tonight?
10:30 according to the invite
I’d love for Columbus to have something like that along our river. I’ve spent some time in Shanghai. The area in your photo is called – “The Bund”. Columbus has that potential, but I would simply point out that the aforementioned area in Shanghai has more than some boats and laser light shows. There is an energy along that river (Huan Pu), it’s walkable and a huge area of growth surrounds it. Also worth noting. It’s all happened in the last 10 – 15 years. In 1992 there wasn’t 1 skyscraper in Shanghai.
been there, done drinks at the rooftop jazz bar at the Peace Hotel, which I think used to be the tallest thing on the Bund. it is now apparently being renovated.
my favorite spot was to head down to the rooftop patio at Kathryn’s on 5 in the People’s Park. Order up a nice vodka and tonic around 10:00pm and sit there for 2-hours and watch all of the neon shut down and the city fade to black.
I really, really like that city. I stayed on Nanjing, which I’m sure most people do. I remember visiting the Longhua temple and buying lots of amazing tea.
The open house ends at 10:30, but the lights will be on all night, every night, from dusk until dawn.
(August 8, 2008 – Columbus, Ohio) – Franklin Park Conservatory will unveil to the community tonight its recently expanded John F. Wolfe Palm House. As the first step of the Conservatory’s $21 million multi-faceted Master Plan to transform Franklin Park and the Conservatory, this expansion includes two rooftop gardens, a brides garden, a new event venue and event support facilities.
“This completion of the John F. Wolfe Palm House expansion is a major milestone for Franklin Park Conservatory that will enrich the artistic and cultural fabric of our community for years to come,†said Bruce Harkey, executive director of Franklin Park Conservatory. “The expansion will not only be more accommodating for special events, it will improve functionality, increase events capacity and generate additional revenue.â€
“Today wouldn’t have been possible without the generous support of our public and private partners that backed this expansion,†said Frederick L. Ransier, III, Franklin Park Conservatory’s board president. “Because of their support, the John F. Wolfe Palm House additions will generate new revenue for the Conservatory to help support our community outreach, exhibitions and horticulture programs.â€
The lead donors to the campaign are American Electric Power Foundation; city of Columbus, The William H. Davis, Dorothy M. Davis and William C. Davis Foundation; Limited Brands Foundation; Nationwide Foundation; The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company; the state of Ohio; and the Robert E. Wolfe and Edgar T. Wolfe Foundation.
The Conservatory worked with landscape designer Julie Moir Messervy and local urban design and landscape architecture firm MSI on the landscape design for the Palm House additions. Messervy is known for her work on the Toronto Music Garden in conjunction with cellist Yo-Yo Ma. The Conservatory also worked with the architecture firm Schooley Caldwell Associates and Miles-McClellan Construction.
The John F. Wolfe Palm House expansion includes:
Special Events Addition – Special event visitors will enter the Conservatory through a new entrance in the addition adjacent to the Palm House to the north. A new special events venue in this addition will seat up to 170.
Event Support Facilities – Adjacent to the Palm House to the south, the second addition will provide facilities for back-of-the-house activities. Located in this area will be dressing rooms for event clients, a catering area, conference rooms for event client meetings and offices for the Conservatory’s special events staff.
Rooftop Gardens – Atop each addition will be a rooftop garden – one with an Asian theme and one with a Mediterranean theme. The gardens will be accessed through the Show House and will be available for special events as well as enjoyed by general visitors.
Brides Garden – Adjacent to the north addition will be the Brides Garden, a terraced garden that can be used for small weddings, receptions, or more intimate gatherings.
Franklin Park Conservatory recently broke ground for its new Community Garden Campus, the second major project of its Master Plan, which is set to open in summer 2009. This expansion, once complete, will consist of a four-acre campus on the southeast corner of Franklin Park that will become the center for the Conservatory’s expanded horticulture and environmental programs. Located on the campus will be the Community Garden Center, an Education Pavilion, a summer kitchen and culinary and demonstration gardens to be used for new outreach and education initiatives.
The campus will be anchored by the restored caretaker’s house, the soon to be headquarters of the American Community Gardening Association (ACGA) – a bi-national organization that helps build communities by increasing and enhancing community gardening and greening efforts across the U.S. and Canada – and the Conservatory’s community gardening program, Growing to Green.
The Conservatory’s Master Plan was developed in 1999-2000 with input from a numerous stakeholders, including community, business and government leaders, surrounding neighborhood residents, school children, Franklin Park Conservatory staff and board, and volunteers. The Conservatory has raised $19.2 million of the $21 million goal for the first capital campaign in its history.
I just came back from Franklin Park. This lighting thing was quite remarkable. This was the first time I had been to the Conservatory, so I was glad for the opportunity to look around. I was amazed that the lighting didn’t reflect on the plants inside; it was all very controlled and, I would imagine, meticulously planned. Definitely worth a look whenever you’re around the park in the evening.
speaking of buildings being lighted up, what is up with the AEP building? just about every night, the lights along the top portion go “crazy” and change colors and/or move around in a pattern. but, its very very cool.
aep has had those for about 4 years or so now.
You had a different reaction than I.
Interestingly, if you search for AEP and hideous, a thread comes up but the server had eaten my post. These computer thingies never cease to fascinate.
hey, watch what you’re comparing my hometown to.
Hometown, you say?
Anyone else check out the Conservatory?
http://www.columbusmetroclub.org/Default.aspx?pageId=49313&eventId=17476&EventViewMode=2
I went to the opening/unveiling on Friday. I was a little underwhelmed by it all. After watching for about 5 minutes, I was ready to move on. I think it’ll be something thats cool to stop and watch for a minute or two when you’re walking by but I don’t think I’ll ever sit through the whole 70 minute rotation. It will probably look really cool to see when it’s snowing. I think it’s a little strange that this will be going all night long, every night. You can see a little bit of the light from Broad Street but I would be very surprised if people on Franklin Park West and South can see any of it at night. The people living in Park Towers should have a cool view of it though.
The new additions to the Conservatory were cool. The rooftop gardens weren’t really green roofs like I hoped they would be, they are more along the lines of rooftop patios with some plants around the edges. But I’ve heard from many people that they need more event space so that should work out well for them. The interiors underneath the gardens were very safe. Nothing to scare anyone away but nothing to really tell people about.
The Bridal Garden was a little goofy. I’m sure there was some 13 year old girl who went home that night and dreamt about the day that she can get her picture taken in a white dress under a big ass metal bow. However, it did not inspire any dreams in this 30 year old man.
Edit: big typo, I meant UNDERwhelmed.
We went last night and were impressed. As we left, there was a guy leading a blindfolded woman (his girlfriend/wife I’d imagine!) to the building. A surprise unveiling? A proposal?
Hope it went well for him when the blindfold was removed.
+1 Motorist. I still love this guy’s work, but I too was underwhelmed. I’m still very glad we have one in Columbus though.
It was kind of a strange event all around, with the non-stop mention of John F. Wolfe or what have you.
John F. Wolfe, John F. Wolfe, John F. Wolfe. It was like chanting.
I love the conservatory and can’t wait to check this out sometime, i don’t think it really is meant to be something you would sit there and watch for all 70 minutes or however long the light show is but just is meant to be a better lighting system and show off what a beautiful building it is.
Agreed. I don’t think anyone really sits and watches the Short North Arches for extended periods of time either. It’s an art installation for ambiance. Not a TV show.
John F. Wolfe, John F. Wolfe, John F. Wolfe. It was like chanting.
LOL I noticed that too.
Thanks, guys, now I feel justified in just enjoying it when I’m walking by. Probably on my way to and from that sa-weet new Old Bag of Nails. It has a neon sign on the front of it. For ambiance.
It might be nice to watch it for 70 minutes. I’d guess you’re supposed to watch the Turrell piece for the whole cycle and I don’t think you can chalk it up to ambiance. Lots of art pieces have a time element. Turrell’s piece at the Mattress Factory in Pittsburgh requires you to hang out for 15 or 20 minutes while your eyes adjust. 70 minutes isn’t horrible, and it’s certainly no eight hours of watching Andy Warhol’s “Empire” or something like that. A lot of people spend 70 minutes watching VH-1, looking for their keys, or other equally important activities when they could be watching the light change.
:oops: I do, lol. Especially weeknights when it almost seems like someone is playing around with them. Also, when I’m outside killing myself. So yeah, there you go, I’m a sucker for blinking lights.