1,216 votes
Keep the Conservatory at Volunteer Park Open
So many of these ideas are about creating a better future. What about maintaining what is beautiful and good for this city? It's a warm, quiet and beautiful place. We should maintain and preserve it for the future. Closing it would be shortsighted.
Melissa Brady
I visited this unique place for the first time this weekend. I was so amazed at not only at the plants and architecture of the space, but at the people drawn there! Children loved the area as much as seniors. Met a young teen who had a fancy camera and knew allot about the different species of plants. He declared himself a botony lover. He gave me an improptu tour - and he was not even a tour guide! It would be a travesty to loose this place. The word needs to get out about this gem in our own back yards.
kennedici
Cities don't build things like the conservatory anymore and Seattle should definitely fight to save it. It is ridiculous to even entertain the idea that any benefit would come out of deciding to close such a beautiful landmark.
amir bahadori
Say! What's the Idea. Keep the conservatory open.
Gavin
What Seth said!
Seth Thomas
There isn't much 'old Seattle' left. I get the feeling most of it burned down with Pioneer Square back in the day. This Conservatory is pure class and pure art. It needs to stay open and available to the citizens of Seattle and our visitors from all over the world.
Ann Lawrence
The Conservatory at Volunteer Park is an essential part of the beauty of this park. It is a living and growing 'library' of the natural world, a world that we need to be reminded to love and treasure.
Sara
Imagine NYC without Central Park. Icons like this are the heart of a city and can't be replaced... Please contribute your thoughts on how to grow the Conservatory at http://softdimension.net/blog/?p=420
Anna Marie
This is a place I've enjoyed since I was a child. I visited again recently, only to find out that there is a danger of the conservatory closing. It would be a shame to lose this precious jewel.
Mary McKee
This conservatory has stood for nearly 100 years, survived the Great Depression, and provided an indoor "outdoor" feel for so many Seattle residents who want a respite from the rainy weather. As a child I would spend hours in the conservatory sketching the plants and learning about how greenhouses work. Please don't let this Seattle icon be closed!
Michele
The Volunteer Park Conservatory is a unique gem and living legacy that cannot be replaced. The collections of plants teach young and old to appreciate the biodiversity of our planet. Getting up close to these plants is to observe life from other climates without having to travel across the world. The conservatory is more important now than ever. I would propose charging a small entry fee to help support it.
kcolours
To close the Conservatory would be a travesty! Do you realize how unique this building and the park surrounding it is? So many cities would give anything to have this exquisite site that has given pleasure and peace to thousands over the years. Please, please do not take away this treasure from our live.
Barbara Premo
My family has bought a home in Warm Beach and we discovered the Conservatory while exploring Seattle. We love it!!!! And we were in shock to hear that it might close! The last time we were there we happened to chat with a man from Houston, Texas that said he stopped by the Conservatory each time he was in town for business to marvel at the space and plants.....this place is too wonderful to disappear!!!! It adds to the quality of life that Seattle offers! Too precious to lose!
leigh grossman
I have worked in the floral industry for over 20 years so I'm always amazed that the Conservatory at Volunteer Park surprises me with something new or so over the top with the size, color and variety of the species, everytime I go. What is even more stunning is that the staff has provided the public with this wonderful flora jungle just on public donations. It would be narrow minded not to consider any and all options to keep this wonderful destination open. To simply close the Conservatory would be a... more
I have worked in the floral industry for over 20 years so I'm always amazed that the Conservatory at Volunteer Park surprises me with something new or so over the top with the size, color and variety of the species, everytime I go. What is even more stunning is that the staff has provided the public with this wonderful flora jungle just on public donations. It would be narrow minded not to consider any and all options to keep this wonderful destination open. To simply close the Conservatory would be a cultural loss for the city of Seattle, a city that takes pride in the diversity of it's treasures.
Diane
I've lived on the Hill for 15 years and not once have I ever gone to the conservatory and been alone. It is always full of people, savoring the beautiful plants and the contemplative, quiet atmosphere amid a busy neighborhood. This is not some dusty relict, and it would be a *complete shame* if it closed a mere 1 1/2 years before its centennial. Even if you have to charge a small fee, keep it open!
Sheila M. Scott
June 9, 2010
Our Volunteer Park Conservatory on Capitol Hill is Seattle's living historic treasure. In 2012 we'll celebrate the 100th anniversary of this extraordinary landmark. From its exquisite Victorian architectural structure to its remarkable collection of rare plants from all around the world, it is a unique gem set in the serenity of our lovely park. A day spent visiting this oasis and its accompanying Seattle Asian Art Museum is one well spent.
I can’t imagine our city without this incr... more
June 9, 2010
Our Volunteer Park Conservatory on Capitol Hill is Seattle's living historic treasure. In 2012 we'll celebrate the 100th anniversary of this extraordinary landmark. From its exquisite Victorian architectural structure to its remarkable collection of rare plants from all around the world, it is a unique gem set in the serenity of our lovely park. A day spent visiting this oasis and its accompanying Seattle Asian Art Museum is one well spent.
I can’t imagine our city without this incredible place of learning, celebration, and respite. The collections require routine care, the structure regular maintenance. It’s suffered enough cutbacks. It’s wiser to keep it running than to try to revive it after neglect. Please save our beautiful Seattle Landmark.
Sheila M. Scott
Cascade Cactus & Succulent Society
past president 2007-2009
George Bakan
One of my favorite places , regional draw for tourists, save it, spend the money to keep it vital and open.
mindy
One of my favorite places in Seattle. As a new mom, I loved to stroll my baby through the conservatory's narrow, beautiful paths. Closing it would break my heart ... and make me want to leave this city.
tjbaresh
I collect species of the genus Crassula and the conservatory's collection is one of the things that has really inspired me to do so. I love that building and the people there are super nice and informative.
Mary-Alice Pomputius
The Volunteer Park Conservatory is an oasis of calm and beauty in a hectic world. I go there to warm up in the winter, and to cheer up on bleak days. It's a jewel of a building, a century old and recently renovated -- it's one of the things that makes Seattle a special place, and, speaking practically, why waste all the money that 's gone into restoring it and establishing/maintaining its collections? It's not the kind of building you can just shutter, especially given how prone to vandalism it would be.... more
The Volunteer Park Conservatory is an oasis of calm and beauty in a hectic world. I go there to warm up in the winter, and to cheer up on bleak days. It's a jewel of a building, a century old and recently renovated -- it's one of the things that makes Seattle a special place, and, speaking practically, why waste all the money that 's gone into restoring it and establishing/maintaining its collections? It's not the kind of building you can just shutter, especially given how prone to vandalism it would be. It's also a highly-visible component of an intensely-used park. An abandoned building of its kind, in that location, would be an eyesore and an embarrassment to the park service and the city.
Mick Aspria
The Conseratory is approching it's 100th year! In that time I have been to visit the Beautiful collection of Plants from all over the world, since I was 8 Years! I do visit at least 5 to 8 times per year and really appreciate all the hard work it takes to keep a plant collection looking good and healthy!
The Conservatory is one of two on the West Coast and it should be a Historic Landmark in the city of Seattle! I am sure if the Citizens of Seattle had a chance to vote on paying for it's up ke... more
The Conseratory is approching it's 100th year! In that time I have been to visit the Beautiful collection of Plants from all over the world, since I was 8 Years! I do visit at least 5 to 8 times per year and really appreciate all the hard work it takes to keep a plant collection looking good and healthy!
The Conservatory is one of two on the West Coast and it should be a Historic Landmark in the city of Seattle! I am sure if the Citizens of Seattle had a chance to vote on paying for it's up keep it would pass! Volunteer Park is a Beautiful Park but with out the Conservatory it would be just a pas. I Highly recommend we (the people of Seattle) keep the Conservotory !!!
Thank You!
Mick A.