COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens announced a plan for 15 major changes to the grounds, including a new entrance and visitor center.
The conservatory said it took two years of community research and visioning with architecture and design experts.
“Central Ohio is on the cusp of a boom in industry and population,” said Bruce Harkey, president and CEO of Franklin Park Conservatory, in a press release. “The Conservatory aspires to grow along with it by providing a connection to nature and educational opportunities for families, our community and visitors to Columbus.”
It's called the North Star Master Plan, and it's a mix of construction on renovation projects.
The plan calls for the conservatory entrance to move from Broad Street to Franklin Park, and the conservatory will also be moved to the existing traffic light at Woodland Avenue and Broad Street. The entrance to the conservatory’s visitor experience will move to a central location, just west of the John F. Wolfe Palm House and the Conservatory’s Grand Mallway.
In addition, visitors will soon use centralized underground parking.
The conservatory said the projects aim "toward a gardens-forward, immersive experience." Some of the projects include:
- John F. Wolfe Palm House and Dorothy M. Davis Showhouse renovation
- New Grand Mallway, North and South Signature Gardens
- New visitor center building with a restaurant and gift shop
- New centralized underground parking and rooftop gardens
- New biomes
- Modernized main building
- Renovated biomes
- Expanded greenhouse operations complex
- Expansion of the Scotts Miracle-Gro Foundation Children’s Garden
The conservatory said MKSK, a local firm, will lead the development of the plan alongside other partners, including AECOM, Phyto and Thinkwell.
For more details on the master plan, click here. The project is expected to be completed over the next 25 years.