Franklin Park Conservatory is a premier horticultural
and educational institution showcasing exotic plant collections,
special exhibitions, and spectacular Chihuly artworks.

1852
It all began when the Franklin County Agriculture Society
purchased 88 acres of land two miles east of downtown
Columbus to host the first Franklin County Fair.
By 1874, the Franklin County Agricultural Society agreed
on the importance of this beloved piece of land, increased
the size to 93 acres, and made it the official site of the
Ohio State Fair.

1880
For several years, the state fairgrounds were a popular
destination. History was made on August 11, when
General William Tecumseh Sherman delivered his
famous statement, “War is Hell,” in a speech to Civil War
veterans.

1884
The state fair occupied the site until this date, when it
moved to a new location north of Columbus. With the
change, the lot was abandoned. But on May 17, 1886,
the site was officially revived when the Ohio State
Legislature passed a resolution declaring it open for use as
a public park.

1893
Chicago’s World Fair and Columbian Exposition was an
immensely influential social and cultural event. It inspired
the city of Columbus to create a horticulture building
modeled after the Exposition’s Glass Palace. This glass
structure, built in the grand Victorian style, was erected
in Franklin Park and opened to the public in 1895 as
Franklin Park Conservatory.

1927
For a short period animals were kept in the lower rooms
of the Conservatory.

1929
These animals left the Conservatory and became part of
the first Columbus Zoo.

1974
In recognition of the Conservatory’s historic and
architectural merit, the original glass structure, today
known as the Palm House, was listed on the National
Register of Historic Places.

1986,
Franklin Park and the Conservatory became the host site
for AmeriFlora ’92, a world-class, international
horticulture exposition.

1989
In preparation for the great event, renovation of the
historic structure and a $14-million expansion began.
Additions totaled 58,000 square feet and included an
Himalayan Collection, Lowland Rainforest, Desert, Pacific
Island Water Garden, Tree Fern Forest, Tropical Cloud
Forest, classrooms, library, gift shop, café and
administrative offices. While more than one million people
attended, AmeriFlora was not a financial success.

1992
In the wake of AmeriFlora, Franklin Park Conservatory’s
future lay in question. However, the decision was made to
hire an executive director. With a handful of dedicated
staff, volunteers, and an operating budget of $500,000,
the institution began to regain its identity and momentum.

1994
Franklin Park Conservatory debuted Blooms & Butterflies,
becoming the first conservatory in the nation to showcase
a seasonal butterfly exhibition. It was an instant success.
Since then, the annual exhibition features thousands of
tropical butterflies flying through the Pacific Island Water
Garden. It attracts thousands of visitors each year, and
other conservatories throughout the nation have followed suit.

2003
Franklin Park Conservatory presented Chihuly at the
Conservatory, a blockbuster exhibition that increased
attendance by 182 percent. On October 29, 2004, the
Friends of the Conservatory, a private, nonprofit group
that supports the Conservatory’s programming, made a
stunning move. They purchased nearly the entire
exhibition of Dale Chihuly’s artworks valued at close to $7
million. To this day, Franklin Park Conservatory is the only
public botanical garden in the world to own a signature
collection of Chihuly’s magnificent glass artworks, which
represents over 3,000 pieces of glass. For more information
about the Chihuly Collection, click here.

2006
Franklin Park Conservatory has made great strides in the
last 10 years towards ensuring its financial sustainability.
It has an operating budget of more than $4 million, a
staff of 100 and more than 400 volunteers. The facility
offers a wide range of educational classes for school
groups, families, and individuals of all ages. Its extensive
plant collections and special exhibitions provide hands-on
learning opportunities about the natural world, gardening,
and the arts.