1996 Ushered in a New Era Fairchild Tropical Garden: the Debut of the $1M Rare Plant House Conservatory

"Plants will no longer be subjected to chemicals in city water but to rainwater collected in two cisterns that will hold 45,000 gallons."

February 18, 1996

On this day, The Miami Herald shared a story about rebuilding the rare plant house at the Fairchild Botanical Garden.

“The born-again rare-plant house at the Fairchild Tropical Garden called Windows on the Tropics has a new roof and new walls - and a whole collection of staghorn ferns mounted like prize stag heads overlooking the inner courtyard.

The new $1 million conservatory at the Fairchild Tropical Garden that is being built on the footprint of the hurricane-demolished rare plant house is nearing its opening day.

It will be the last piece of the Hurricane Andrew puzzle to be put back into place in the garden. More than 2,000 plants will be displayed in the conservatory, showing about 1,000 species grouped in themes or windows onto the natural tropical world.

One window into plant and animal interactions will feature everything from ant plants to carnivorous plants.

Recently, a buttonwood tree was bolted to a wall for the display beneath which visitors will walk and come eyeball-to-eyeball with insect-dissolving pitcher plants.

The window featuring epiphytic or air plants will open into the old orchid display room [which] will include orchids, bromeliads, and climbing philodendrons.

The new conservatory path will lead through the most modern greenhouse spaces [and will] house Economic plants — those used by man — [like] coffee, pepper, vanilla, and other tropical food and medicine plants.

Three new waterfalls are being built in the lower level of the conservatory where ferns, tree ferns, and palms will reside ...and here, the conservatory becomes a sensual experience.

The building is the largest aluminum structure in Florida [that also meets] the 120-mile-an-hour wind code.

Soaring 12 feet taller than the old Rare Plant House, the plastic roof has clerestory windows that open for ventilation and comes with built-in storm shutters.

And plants will no longer be subjected to chemicals in city water but to rainwater collected in two cisterns that will hold 45,000 gallons.

The conservatory will be opened on March 23rd (1996)… Instead of having a guest speaker, the garden is letting Windows on the Tropics do all the talking, says Barbara Schuler, director of development.