New York Botanical Garden

The New York Botanical Garden (NYBG) is a botanical garden at Bronx Park in the Bronx, New York City. Established in 1891, it is located on a Template:Convert site that contains a landscape with over one million living plants; the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, a greenhouse containing several habitats; and the LuEsther T. Mertz Library, which contains one of the world's largest collections of botany-related texts. Template:As of, over a million people visit the New York Botanical Garden annually.

NYBG is also a major educational institution, teaching visitors about plant science, ecology, and healthful eating through NYBG's interactive programming. Nearly 90,000 of the annual visitors are children from underserved neighboring communities. An additional 3,000 are teachers from New York City's public school system participating in professional development programs that train them to teach science courses at all grade levels. NYBG operates one of the world's largest plant research and conservation programs.

NYBG was established in 1891 and the first structures on the grounds opened at the end of that decade. Since 1967, the garden has been listed as a National Historic Landmark, and several buildings have been designated as official New York City landmarks.

History

Context

As early as 1877, ideas had been circulating in New York City to create a botanical garden; funding could not be obtained at the time, although the efforts led to parkland being set aside for future use.<ref name="Tanner">Template:Cite book</ref> By 1888, the Torrey Botanical Society was promoting the construction of a large botanical garden in New York City. The Garden's creation followed a fund-raising campaign led by the Torrey Botanical Society and Columbia University botanist Nathaniel Lord Britton and his wife Elizabeth Gertrude Britton, who were inspired to emulate the Royal Botanic Gardens in London.<ref name="NYCL-2311" />Template:Rp

In 1889, the Torrey Botanical Society's members decided to build the botanical garden at Bronx Park in the center of the Bronx, New York City's northernmost borough.<ref name="NYCL-2311">Template:Cite web</ref>Template:Rp The Lorillard family owned most of the land at that location.<ref name="enc-nyc">Template:Cite enc-nyc</ref>Template:Rp The city had already been given authorization to acquire the land as part of the 1884 New Parks Act, which was intended to preserve lands that would soon become part of New York City.<ref name="enc-nyc" />Template:Rp<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Some Template:Convert of land surrounding the Lorillard estate was acquired by the City of New York as part of Bronx Park in 1888–1889.<ref name="enc-nyc" />Template:Rp

Establishment

By act of the New York State Legislature, the New York Botanical Garden was established on April 28, 1891.<ref name="Establishment 1891">Template:Cite journal</ref> The garden occupied part of the grounds of the Lorillard estate and a parcel that was formerly the easternmost portion of the campus of St. John's College (now Fordham University);<ref name="enc-nyc" />Template:Rp the latter included three graves of the Fordham University Cemetery, which were then relocated.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The stated purpose of the act was:

As per the acts of incorporation, a board of directors would manage the NYBG. The board of directors included Columbia College's president and professors of biology, chemistry, and geology; the presidents of the Torrey Society, New York City Board of Education, and the Department of Public Parks' board of commissioners; the Mayor of New York City; and nine other members elected to the board.<ref name="NYCL-2311" />Template:Rp<ref name="Establishment 1891" /> The legislation would provide Template:Convert within Bronx Park to the NYBG, and enable the board of directors to construct a library and conservatory, if at least $250,000 was raised within five years. If this condition were reached, the city would then issue $0.5 million in bonds.<ref name="NYCL-2311" />Template:Rp<ref name="Establishment 1891" /> The principal officers of the new corporation set up for the garden were Cornelius Vanderbilt II, Andrew Carnegie and J.P. Morgan, with Nathaniel Lord Britton as the new secretary.<ref name="Tanner" />

Prominent civic leaders and financiers, including Vanderbilt, Carnegie, and Morgan, agreed to match the City's commitment to finance the buildings and improvements.<ref name="NYCL-2311" />Template:Rp By May 1895, the $250,000 in bonds had been raised<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> but the plans had not been fully confirmed.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The Board of Directors then asked landscape architect Calvert Vaux and his partner, Parks Superintendent Samuel Parsons Jr., to consult on site selection. The north end of Bronx Park was decided as the best location for the NYBG.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> By August 1895, the architects had started a survey on the site. Because the Bronx River and various small tributaries ran through the park, drainage was a major consideration.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Though Vaux's preliminary layout was approved in October 1895, he died the following month.<ref name="NYCL-2311" />Template:Rp The topographical survey was completed in March 1896.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The master plan was created by a team that included Britton & Parsons, as well as landscape engineer John R. Brinley, landscape gardener Samuel Henshaw, botanist Lucien Marcus Underwood, and architects Robert W. Gibson and Lincoln Pierson (the latter from the firm Lord & Burnham).<ref name="NYCL-2311" />Template:Rp

The LuEsther T. Mertz Library and Enid A. Haupt Conservatory were among the first structures at the NYBG to open. The Library was built between 1897 and 1900,<ref name="NYCL-2311" />Template:Rp and the Conservatory was built around the same time, being completed in 1902.<ref name="NYCL-0481">Template:Cite web</ref>

1900s to 1980s

For over a century after its opening, the NYBG refused to charge admission.<ref name="nyt19940802">Template:Cite news</ref> Because of this, as well as insufficient government and private funding, its budget deficit started to increase in the 1950s.<ref name="nyt19740313" /> After the city cut the NYBG's budget in 1970, the garden was forced to remain closed for 3 to 4 days a week, and officials worried that this could eventually lead to permanent closure.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In 1974, for the first time in the botanical garden's history, officials had to annually petition New York State Legislature for funds. That year, the NYBG announced a major renovation to the conservatory and the addition of a building dedicated to displaying plants in different habitats.<ref name="nyt19740313">Template:Cite news</ref> The next year, budget cuts related to the 1975 New York City fiscal crisis resulted in the NYBG being closed on weekdays for the first time in its history.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In 1988, the NYBG announced a renovation of its museum building, including the addition of a new annex, which was supposed to open in 1991.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> By the early 1990s, the NYBG facilities were neglected. The garden did not have enough space in its parking lots to accommodate all its visitors, turning away potential guests. Many areas were neglected, except for the Template:Convert surrounding the conservatory, and a wetland had even been created unintentionally due to a broken sewer.<ref name="nyt19941213">Template:Cite news</ref> A controversy arose in 1994 when the adjacent Fordham University proposed building a Template:Convert radio tower for its radio station WFUV directly across from the Haupt Conservatory.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The dispute continued until 2002, after several years of failed resolutions, when Montefiore Medical Center offered to move WFUV's antenna to its own facilities.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

1990s to present

Entrance from NYBG

By the mid-1990s, additions to the NYBG were being undertaken to reverse years of neglect.<ref name="nyt19941213" /> In 1994 the formerly free garden started charging an admission fee to fund these improvements as well as the continued maintenance of existing facilities.<ref name="nyt19940802" /> The Everett Children's Garden opened in mid-1998.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> By 2000, the NYBG had requested $300 million for renovations, including a new gift shop and renovation of the greenhouses and roads.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> A new visitor center and gift shop were announced the following year, which would replace temporary facilities built in 1990.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The new main entrance, with a gift shop, bookstore, plaza, restrooms, cafe, and information kiosks, was completed in 2004 at a cost of $21 million.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Meanwhile, the addition of the library annex was delayed to 1994,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> then to 2000.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Construction on the annex started in 1998<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and it opened in 2002 as the International Plant Science Center.<ref name="nyt20020415">Template:Cite news</ref>

In 2000, the NYBG began raising money for a $300 million renovation campaign after the city government donated $22 million.<ref name="nyt-2000-10-04">Template:Cite news</ref> The NYBG's International Plant Science Center reopened in 2002 following a renovation.<ref name=nyt-2002-04-28>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=n129286618>Template:Cite news</ref> Several other projects were completed and programs implemented in the 2000s. In 2004, the Leon Levy Visitor Center opened as the Botanical Garden's main entrance. It included the NYBG Shop and the Pine Tree Café.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The following year, the Nolen Greenhouses for Living Collections opened with its publicly accessible Bourke-Sullivan Display House.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The Plant Research Laboratory was completed in early 2005<ref name="n129285786">Template:Cite news</ref> and opened the next year at a cost of $23 million.<ref name="nyt-2006-03-12">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="n129286022">Template:Cite news</ref> In addition to restoring or redesigning existing gardens and collections, such as the Ladies' Border (2002),<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> the Benenson Ornamental Conifers (2004),<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> the Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garden (2007),<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> the Thain Family Forest (2011),<ref name="nyt20111104" /> and the Marjorie G. Rosen Seasonal Walk by Piet Oudolf (2014),<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> the New York Botanical Garden added new gardens and collections to its grounds: the Home Gardening Center (2005),<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> the Maureen K. Chilton Azalea Garden (2011) by landscape architect Shavaun Towers of Towers|Golde LLC,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and Native Plant Garden (2013), by landscape architect Sheila Brady of Oehme, van Sweden.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Off-site, the institution opened The New York Botanical Garden Midtown Education Center in Manhattan in 2010.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> NYBG added a parking garage, the Peter J. Sharp Building, nearby in 2012, along with a Bedford Gate entrance to the Garden.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> NYBG restored its Lorillard Snuff Mill in 2010 and it was named the Lillian and Amy Goldman Stone Mill.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> NYBG's Humanities Research Institute, supported by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, was created in 2014 to stimulate public discourse about humankind's relationship with nature and the environment.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> NYBG opened an on-site restaurant, the Hudson Garden Grill, in 2015.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> It redesigned and reopened its East Gate entrance in 2017.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The Edible Academy, an educational facility for teaching children, families, educators, and the general public about vegetable gardening, nutrition awareness, and environmental stewardship, opened in 2018.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In February 2020, NYBG announced that it was partnering with Douglaston Development to create affordable apartments on the northwest edge of the garden.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In January 2024, the NYBG revealed a major rebranding, developed in partnership with global brand consultancy Wolff Olins. The rebrand included a new logo featuring a bespoke typeface "NY Botanical Gothic", as well as a new color palette.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Grounds

Bronx River Waterfall in NYBG

The Garden contains 50 different gardens and plant collections. There is a serene cascade waterfall, as well as wetlands and a Template:Convert tract of original, never-logged, old-growth New York forest.<ref name="NYBG Map" />

Garden highlights include the 1890s-vintage Haupt Conservatory, designed by Lord & Burnham; the Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garden, originally laid out by Beatrix Jones Farrand in 1916; an alpine rock garden, designed and installed by Thomas H. Everett in the 1930s;<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> an Herb Garden, designed by Penelope Hobhouse;<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and a Template:Convert conifer collection. The NYBG's extensive research facilities include a propagation center, 550,000-volume research library,<ref name="NYBG-Great_Works-2014" /> and an herbarium of 7.2 to 7.8 million botanical specimens dating back more than three centuries, among the largest in the world.<ref name="NYBG-JSTOR-Herbarium">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="NYBG Herbarium">Template:Cite web</ref>

Specialty gardens and collections

Thain Family Forest in NYBG

The Stone Mill, within NYBG

At the heart of the Garden is the Thain Family Forest,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> an old-growth forest. It is the largest existing remnant of the original forest which covered all of New York City before the arrival of European settlers in the 17th century. The forest, which was never logged, contains oaks, American beeches, cherry, birch, tulip and white ash trees, some more than two centuries old.<ref name="nyt20111104">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The forest itself is split by the Bronx River, the only freshwater river in New York City, and this stretch of the river includes a riverine canyon and rapids.<ref name="NYBG Map" /> Along the shores sits the Stone Mill, previously known as the Lorillard Snuff Mill, built in 1840.<ref name="NYCL-0121" /> Sculptor Charles Tefft created the Fountain of Life on the grounds in 1905.<ref name="NYCL-2311" />Template:Rp

The Ladies' Border, originally commissioned by the Women's Auxiliary Committee in the 1920s,<ref name="nyt-1926-05-23">Template:Cite news</ref> was designed by Ellen Shipman<ref name="nyt-1950-03-29">Template:Cite news</ref> and installed between 1931 and 1933. It consists of a sheltered area measuring Template:Convert across, near the Haupt Conservatory.<ref name="Miller 2009 p. 29">Template:Cite book</ref> In 2000, designer Lynden B. Miller created a new plan for the Ladies' Border.<ref name="Miller 2009 p. 29" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The Jane Watson Irwin Perennial Garden was designed in the 1970s by Dan Kiley and redefined by Miller in the 1980s and again in 2003.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Structures

Research laboratories

The Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garden

The Pfizer Plant Research Laboratory, named for Pfizer, is a two-story. Template:Convert research building that opened in 2006.<ref name="nyt-2006-03-12" /><ref name="n129286022" /> The laboratory studies plant genomics, molecular systematics, plant use in New York City's immigrant communities, and the processes through which plants create neurotoxins.<ref name="n129286022" /> The building has nine labs, one of which is a lab with robotic workstations on the second floor.<ref name="nyt-2006-03-12" /> Genomic DNA from many different species is extracted to create a library of the DNA of the world's plants. This collection is stored in a DNA storage room with 20 freezers housing millions of specimens, including rare, endangered or extinct species.

LuEsther T. Mertz Library

LuEsther T. Mertz Library

Founded in 1899 and named after supporter LuEsther Mertz,<ref name="NYBG-Great_Works-2014" /> the LuEsther T. Mertz Library is located in the northern section of the NYBG.<ref name="NYBG Map">Template:Cite web</ref> A 2002 New York Times article mentioned that the library had 775,000 items and 6.5 million plant specimens in its collection,<ref name="nyt20020415" /> while a book published in 2014 by the NYBG mentioned that the library had "550,000 physical volumes and 1,800 journal titles".<ref name="NYBG-Great_Works-2014">Template:Cite book</ref> Template:As of the Mertz Library still contained one of the world's largest collections of botany-related texts.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The library is housed in what was formerly known as the NYBG's Museum Building or Administration Building, which started construction in 1897<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and was completed in 1900.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The structure was designed by Robert W. Gibson<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> in the Renaissance Revival style.<ref name="NYCL-2311" />Template:Rp

Enid A. Haupt Conservatory

The Haupt Conservatory in fall

The Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, named after Enid A. Haupt, is a greenhouse near the western end of the NYBG.<ref name="NYBG Map" /> The conservatory was designed by the major greenhouse company of the late 1890s, Lord and Burnham Co. The design was modeled after the Palm House at the Royal Botanic Garden and Joseph Paxton's Crystal Palace in Italian Renaissance style.<ref name="koebner" /> Groundbreaking took place on January 3, 1899, and the conservatory was completed in 1902 at a cost of $177,000.<ref name="koebner" /> The building was constructed by John R. Sheehan under contract for the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Since the original construction, major renovations took place in 1935, 1950, 1978, and 1993.<ref name="koebner">Template:Cite journal</ref>

The conservatory houses numerous tropical plants and flowers, cacti and other desert plants, and rainforest vegetation. In summer months, the two pools adjacent to the conservatory display many varieties of lotuses and water lilies.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

William & Lynda Steere Herbarium

The William & Lynda Steere Herbarium, in the International Plant Science Center behind the library,<ref name="NYBG Map" /> is one of the largest herbaria in the world, with approximately 7.9 million specimens.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> after the French National Museum of Natural History in Paris. Founded in 1891, the herbarium quickly became a repository for many important collections. In 1895 the garden incorporated the herbarium of Columbia College, an acquisition of approximately 600,000 specimens, including the private herbaria of John Torrey and C. F. Meisner. In 1945 the garden incorporated the herbaria of the Columbia College of Pharmacy and Princeton University.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> The herbarium is named after William Steere (son of William C. Steere) and his wife Lynda, who endowed the herbarium in 2002.<ref name="NYBG Herbarium" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The Index Herbariorum code assigned to this botanic garden is NY<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and it is used when citing housed specimens.

Programs

In 2008, Alfred P. Sloan Foundation granted the NYBG $572,000 to begin a project called TreeBOL, the Tree Barcode of Life.<ref name="n129286394">Template:Cite news</ref> By sampling the DNA from as many as 100,000 different species of trees from around the world, TreeBOL will document the diversity of plant life, and advance the process of plant DNA barcoding.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

A staff of 200 trains 42 doctoral students at a time. Since the 1890s, scientists from the NYBG have mounted about 2,000 exploratory missions worldwide to collect plants in the wild.

School of Professional Horticulture

In 1932, Thomas H. Everett expanded an existing training program into a robust curriculum for developing professional horticulturists.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Patterned after diploma programs at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, the School for Gardeners combined academic studies with hands-on practical experience in a two-year, full-time program. With the exception of a hiatus during and after the Second World War, the School has trained students since then. Now called the School of Professional Horticulture, this fully-accredited program<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> continues to develop horticulturists of the highest caliber for positions in both public and private gardens.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> After successfully completing the program, students receive The New York Botanical Garden's Diploma in Horticulture.

Exhibitions

The New York Botanical Garden has mounted public exhibitions throughout its history. In 1992, NYBG began presenting what would eventually be called the Holiday Train Show, an annual exhibition of model trains running through a display of New York landmarks made of natural materials.<ref name="Holiday Train Show New York Times article">Template:Cite web</ref> In 2002, it introduced The Orchid Show, an annual exhibition of orchid displays and designed installations with changing themes.<ref name="Orchid Show Architectural Digest article">Template:Cite web</ref> Beginning in 2007, the Garden added an annual fall exhibition of kiku, Japanese chrysanthemums trained to grow in modern and ancient forms.<ref name="Kiku Riverdale Press article">Template:Cite web</ref>

The New York Botanical Garden has also presented large-scale, stand-alone exhibitions, including: Sculpture from the Museum of Modern Art at The New York Botanical Garden (2002),<ref name="NYBG Sculpture MoMA article">Template:Cite web</ref> Chihuly at The New York Botanical Garden (2006),<ref name="Chihuly 2006 New York Times article">Template:Cite web</ref> Darwin's Garden: An Evolutionary Adventure (2008),<ref name="Darwin Exhibition Christian Science Monitor article">Template:Cite web</ref> Moore in America: Monumental Sculpture at The New York Botanical Garden (2008–2009),<ref name="Moore in America New York Times article">Template:Cite web</ref> Emily Dickinson's Garden: The Poetry of Flowers (2010),<ref name="Dickinson Exhibition New York Times article">Template:Cite web</ref> Spanish Paradise: Gardens of the Alhambra (2011),<ref name="Alhambra Exhibition Wall Street Journal article">Template:Cite web</ref> Monet's Garden (2012),<ref name="Monet’s Garden New York Times article">Template:Cite web</ref> Manolo Valdés: Monumental Sculpture (2012),<ref name="NYBG Valdes Sculpture New York Times article">Template:Cite web</ref> Frida Kahlo: Art, Garden, Life (2015),<ref name="NYBG Frida Kahlo artnet article">Template:Cite web</ref> Impressionism: American Gardens on Canvas (2016),<ref name="NYBG Impressionism New York Times article">Template:Cite web</ref> CHIHULY (2017),<ref name="Chihuly 2017 Architectural Digest article">Template:Cite web</ref> Georgia O'Keeffe: Visions of Hawai'i (2018),<ref name="NYBG O’Keeffe Hyperallergic article">Template:Cite web</ref> Brazilian Modern: The Living Art of Roberto Burle Marx (2019),<ref name="NYBG Brazilian Modern Associated Press article">Template:Cite web</ref> KUSAMA: Cosmic Nature (2021),<ref name="Kusama: Cosmic Nature">Template:Cite web</ref> ...things come to thrive...in the shedding...in the molting... by Ebony Patterson (2023),<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and Van Gogh's Flowers (2025).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Executive leadership

• Dr. Nathaniel Lord Britton (1891–1929)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Elmer D. Merrill (1930–1935)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Dr. Marshall A. Howe (1935–1936)<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• Dr. Henry A. Gleason (acting, 1937–1938)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Dr. William J. Robbins (1938–1958)<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
• Dr. William C. Steere (1958–1972)<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
• Dr. Howard S. Irwin (1973–1979)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• James M. Hester (1980–1989)<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
• Gregory Long (1989–2018)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Dr. Carrie Rebora Barratt (2018–2020)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Jennifer Bernstein (2021–present)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Publications

The NYBG published The Garden Journal (Template:ISSN) from 1977 to 1990 and from 1931 has produced the scientific journal, Brittonia.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Landmark status

The New York Botanical Garden was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1967.<ref name="nhlsum" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In addition, three structures are designated as individual New York City landmarks: the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory (designated in 1973),<ref name="NYCL-0481" />Template:Rp the LuEsther T. Mertz Library (2009),<ref name="NYCL-2311" />Template:Rp and the Lorillard Snuff Mill (1966,<ref name="NYCL-0121">Template:Cite web</ref> also separately on the National Register of Historic Places).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

See also

• Education in New York City
• List of herbaria in North America
• List of botanical gardens and arboretums in New York
• List of museums and cultural institutions in New York City
• List of National Historic Landmarks in New York City
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Bronx County, New York
• Other botanical gardens in New York City
  • Brooklyn Botanic Garden
  • Queens Botanical Garden
  • Staten Island Botanical Garden

References

Sources

• Template:Cite book
• Template:Cite book

External links

• Template:Official website
  • Plant Talk: Inside The New York Botanical Garden blog
• Template:NYTtopic
• Brittonia at HathiTrust Digital Library
• Brittonia at SCImago Journal Rank
• Brittonia at Botanical Scientific Journals
• Template:Cite webTemplate:Cbignore
• Template:Cite webTemplate:Cbignore