Last week during the Fourth of July holiday weekend, I had the pleasure of visiting one of the oldest conservatories in the United States, Krohn Conservatory in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Located in Eden Park, northeast of downtown Cincinnati, the aluminum and glass Art Deco conservatory houses four impressive greenhouses—Palm, Tropical, Desert, and Orchid—which you can stroll at your leisure.
Outside garden beds are filled with stunning perennials and colorful annuals; you can enjoy the beauty of the gardens at one of the benches or tables near the gardens.
Benches are also strategically placed throughout the conservatory greenhouses, for those who want to take in the tropical palms, including the over 25-foot tall white Bird-of-Paradise palm in the entryway.
As much as I loved the plants and trees in the greenhouses and the outside gardens, I quickly found myself entranced with the Art Deco details and the beautiful metalwork throughout the conservatory.
While many conservatory visitors quickly find their way to the waterfall in the Palm greenhouse (I admit, I did too!), they overlook the beautiful bridge rails near the waterfall.
I noticed the stunning metal foilage on each side of the bridge rails, and had to find out the backstory. Off I went in search of the conservatory staff to learn about the foilage.
Vulkane Industrial Arts
What an interesting story I discovered!
After speaking with the manager, I found out a local company, Vulkane Industrial Arts, was commissioned to create the metalwork railings along the pathways in the Palm greenhouse.
When Vulkane finished their work on the railings, they asked about the bridge, which was deteriorating, near the waterfall.
As a gift to the conservatory, Vulkane installed a new bridge made of wood that would last decades. And they fabricated impressive bridge railings.
Made of solid machined brass, the bridge railings are adorned with hand-formed copper foilage created by Vulkane staff. They took Philodendron leaves from the Palm greenhouse to use as a model for the leaves.
Look carefully at the copper leaves, don’t they look like Philodendron leaves?
If you get a chance to visit Cincinnati, I encourage to find time to visit the conservatory!
Here’s a few more photos from my visit:
