Como Park Conservatory

Frederick Nussbaumer had an ideal public park for Saint Paul and it was the Como Park Conservatory. He wanted to attract visitors to the park and share with people a variety of modern artistic styles of art. He expanded the greenhouses to provide more room for plants and education for students in school to learn horticulture and aquatic plants. The Como Park Conservatory got its name in 1915 when the glass dome was built. It was built in Renaissance style. It has the dome, columns, and a staircase going up to an arched entrance. The top and sides of the conservatory are made of clear glass. Walking pass the building, you can see through the windows. When I’m going up the stairs the building looks huge and beautiful. It has an elegant and exotic look.

The inside of the building is very warm. The plants were separated into three areas, the fern room, the Sunken garden and the North garden. The North garden was like an exotic tropical rainforest. It has many plants, flowers, and trees that came from tropical forests all over the world. There are huge palm and banana trees. The tallest was the palm tree that reached all the way to the top of the dome. There were all different kinds of colorful fruits such as the pineapple, oranges, papaya, mango, chocolate, tamarind, sugarcane, and bananas growing. All different kinds of herbs were growing. There were colorful exotic flowers such as the orchids in purple and bright magenta, the miniature fishtail palm, macaw flower, and Annatto that is used for making lipstick color. The tropical trees, flowers, and plants were planted according to how they’re used for in medicine and what plants we can eat. The signs by the plants explains what the plants are used for which is very helpful. There was a Koi fish pond that was very nice. There is a statue of a monk by the pond. It is a renaissance style monk. It creates a peaceful atmosphere with the monk there. The Koi fishes were very active, big, and beautiful. I like that there is so much variety of tropical trees, flowers, and plants that I’ve never seen before.

The Fern room which is in the middle of the dome was amazing. The signs say that the ferns that grow at the conservatory were the same ferns that grew during the dinosaur ages. There were a variety of ferns and palm trees. The plants and trees were arranged so that the tallest trees were in the center and the shorter plants were on the outside. Being able to see how high the fruits and palm trees were helped give me an idea of how tall the conservatory really was. There was a bronze sculpture that was made by the artist Harriet Frismuth. The theme is “Crest of the Wave.” It has a girl that looks like she is dancing on top of a fountain. It fits the dome because the statue is playful and creates a fun atmosphere for any visitor who comes to the conservatory.

The Sunken garden was like a magical garden. There were cabbage flowers and a variety color of chrysanthemum flowers. It had a Koi fish pond in the center of the room with yellow lotus flowers growing on top of the pond and chrysanthemum flowers surrounded on the outside. The room looked bright because there were no tall trees. There was a bronze statue of a girl that is touching a toad with the tip of her toes. It was made by the artist Harriet W. Frishmuth. It gives the atmosphere of the garden a more relaxed and happy feeling. The statue is acting playful and she is happy. The theme is “Play Days” and it fits well with the garden because I saw people bring books to read there. Others were just sitting and talking there admiring the garden.

In 1915, Como park was just a park for visitors to take walks, be in nature, have picnics, enjoy the forests and flowers. Until people all over the world started having glassed conservatories that they grow their tropical plants in. People were having high standards for public art and Fredrick took the opportunity to expand his greenhouses since he didn’t have enough room for his plants. Renaissance architecture and mosiaculture was popular during the 1900’s. The idea of mosaiculture originated in Germany, where Frederick was born and from renaissance gardens. Having the conservatory dome structure and its glass windows gives the twin cities an identity and history. The displays of the flower and plants at the Como Park Conservatory are significant because it provides education and extravagantly romantic settings for social events or a place to just hang out. Memories can be made just by being in these beautiful gardens because people also come here to get married, have picnics, and take family pictures.