Image from Friends of the Bloedel
If you’ve been following local Park Board news, you already know that the Bloedel Floral Conservatory is slated for closure March 1, 2010, due to lack of funds.
I’ve written before about how much I like the Bloedel Conservatory. Aside from its iconic triodetic-dome exterior—without which the top of Queen Elizabeth Park would seem utterly naked—visitors love this Vancouver attraction for the same reasons I do: it’s the city’s only “garden under glass,” home to 500 species of plants and flowers and to 100 exotic birds.
Exotic birds fly free inside the Bloedel Conservator. Image from Friends of the Bloedel
The Bloedel Conservatory is also a warm, cozy, tropical escape during rainy days and Vancouver’s dark winter months. (There’s a reason it’s always on everyone’s “Things to Do on Rainy Days” lists.)
Inside the Bloedel Floral Conservatory, from Friends of the Bloedel
As of today, the Bloedel Floral Conservatory is scheduled for closure March 1, 2010. For Bloedel lovers like me, the future is bleak, but there are a few rays of hope. NPA park board commissioner Ian Robertson is vowing to keep the Conservatory open, and the private, non-profit Friends of the Bloedel are collecting donations so that they can operate the facility themselves.
If you’re interested in working to save the Bloedel Floral Conservatory, you can learn more about community efforts here, donate to the Friends of the Bloedel here, or sign this online petition.
Just in case the closure does go through, make sure to see the Conservatory one last time. You won’t be alone: since the announcement of the imminent closure was made in November, attendance at the Conservatory has tripled.
Have memories of the Bloedel Floral Conservatory you’d like to share? Please do!
UPDATED 27/01/10: The Bloedel Floral Conservatory will remain open until April 30, 2010.
6:47 am
So sad to hear about the conservatory closing. I’m from Seattle and have enjoyed it very much over the years. My family and I are planning a trip to Vancouver in late March. We were planning a visit to the conservatory as one of the highlights of our vacation. How extremely disappointed I was just now when I saw it was slated for closure before we get there!! I know these types of exhibits are expensive to operate but they are truly treasures!
I sincerely hope that funding can be found to keep this important attraction open. it is seriously something that is is an asset to the community. Both for the local people of Vancouver and visitors from around the world.
3:19 am
Mary,
I just updated the post to show that you will be able to visit the Bloedel Floral Conservatory on your trip: They postponed the closure to April 30.
Hopefully, the Conservatory will be saved and it won’t close at all!
Hope you see this and can add the Bloedel back to your itinerary.
Dana
4:32 pm
I recently thought of the conservatory as a place I want to revisit. I was shocked it was on the verge of closing. It’s a wonderful place for Vancouverites to get out of the rain.
Why do we have an event like the Olympics that is only causing traffic problems and most of us don’t care about when something like this is part of our city life?
I hope it will stay open. I definitely intend now to visit and to keep track of what is happening.