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Marjorie McNeely Conservatory (Como Park Conservatory)
The conservatory at Como Park in St. Paul, which opened on November 7, 1915, is a well-maintained example of a Victorian greenhouse. While many similar “crystal palaces” have been torn down, St. Paul’s conservatory has remained a center for horticulture, recreation, and education for over a century.
In 1873, the city of St. Paul purchased about 300 acres of land for a public park around Lake Como. When Frederick Nussbaumer became superintendent of the St. Paul parks in 1891, he enhanced the natural landscape of Como Park by balancing it with space for recreation, artistic floral displays, and exotic plants.
Gardeners wintered or propagated some of the plants in a small lean-to-style green house. Since Como Park supplied the plants for the entire park system, however, Nussbaumer needed more indoor growing space. In 1891, the Park Board approved Nussbaumer’s plan for the first conservatory that would be attached to a new superintendent’s residence.
Como soon became a leader in park floriculture, and by 1913, there were nine separate greenhouses. Some of them were badly in need of repair. That year, Nussbaumer proposed a plan for a single large conservatory to replace the collection of greenhouses. He designed a Victorian glass house reminiscent of the palm house at Kew Gardens near London, where he trained. The building rose seventy-two feet at the top of its dome, with wings extending to the north and south. It opened on November 7, 1915, as both a production facility for plants used across St. Paul and as a year round get-away for city residents. About 3,000 people visited on its first day.
In 1918, the conservatory became the home of St. Paul’s annual fall chrysanthemum exhibition. Spring and holiday flower shows began in 1925. A sunken garden was added to the south wing in 1927.
Workers rehabilitated the structure and replaced some of its glass between 1953 and 1957. In 1962, however, a hailstorm damaged over half the glass in the conservatory and many of the plants inside. The repairs cost about $75,000. Fiberglass replaced most of the damaged glass.
The next year, the conservatory made headlines when its rare Agave Americana (called the “century plant”) unexpectedly bloomed. A shoot grew to be so long—thirty-five feet—that a panel in the roof had to be removed. After growing for months, the stalk bloomed into over 300 flowers.
In 1974, the conservatory was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. It was in desperate need of repairs, and the public took action to help restore the building. Community groups took ownership by holding meetings and putting on shows. Volunteers gave tours and helped with fundraising. The conservatory increased its focus on education and began offering garden classes to the public in 1974.
In 1978, St. Paul’s sister city of Nagasaki, Japan, gifted a design for a Japanese garden by landscape architect Masami Matsuda. The Ordway family donated the money to create the Como Ordway Memorial Japanese Garden outside of the conservatory.
The city published The Como Park Master Plan in 1981, and The Como Conservatory Planning Advisory Committee published the Como Conservatory Master Plan for its restoration in 1984, which the Metropolitan Council approved. The $13.5 million first phase included restoration of glass and structural elements, as well as updated electrical, heating, ventilation, and water systems.
On July 31, 1999, the conservatory received the HortLandmark Award from the American Society for Horticultural Science for its historical, scientific, environmental, and aesthetic value. It was only the third site to receive this landmark status.
In 2002, the Donald McNeely family donated $7 million to the Como Conservatory, which renamed it the Marjorie McNeely Conservatory. This money helped open a new wing and a combined visitors’ center for the conservatory and Como Zoo. The visitors’ center connected the facilities, serving as the main entrance for both. It included a gift shop, classrooms for its educational programs, and other amenities. A Tropical Encounters exhibit opened in the visitor’s center in 2006. The new wing of the conservatory included an orchid house and fern room.
Further additions included an edible garden in 2011, a year-round bonsai gallery in 2013, and a Centennial Garden in 2015 for the 100th anniversary of the conservatory. At this time, the conservatory managed nine gardens—six indoors and three outdoors.
Bibliography
American Society for Horticultural Science. HortLandmark Designation.
http://www.ashs.org/?page=HortLandmarkDesigna
City of Saint Paul, Division of Parks and Recreation. Como Park Master Plan. St. Paul: City of Saint Paul, Division of Parks and Recreation, 1981.
Clasemann, Audrey. St. Paul’s Como Park: Its History, Its Charm. Typescript, 1992.
Como Park Zoo & Conservatory. History.
http://www.comozooconservatory.org/about/history/#/history
Kelley, Ann. City of St. Paul, Como Park: A Romance: 1873 to 1973. St. Paul: [N.p.], 1973.
Knutson, Jennifer. Making History—Como Park Conservatory. St. Paul: City of Saint Paul, Division of Parks and Recreation, 1995.
Park Board Records, 1887–ca. 1943
Board of Park Commissioners of the City of Saint Paul, Records.
State Archives Collection, Minnesota Historical Society, St. Paul
http://www2.mnhs.org/library/findaids/gr00518.xml
Description: Park Board meeting minutes, especially May 7, 1891 minutes describing the appointment of Frederick Nussbaumer to Park Superintendent.
Roethke, Leigh, and Bonnie Blodgett. Jewel of Como: The Marjorie McNeely Conservatory. Afton, MN: Afton Historical Society Press, 2009.
Walsh, James. “St. Paul's Como Park Conservatory Celebrates a Century.” Minneapolis Star Tribune, June 19, 2015.
http://www.startribune.com/st-paul-s-marjorie-mcneely-conservatory-celebrates-a-century/308564181/#1
“Work on Como Dome.” St. Paul Dispatch, October 29, 1954.
Related Resources
Secondary
Murphy, Patricia, and Gary Phelps. “Swamps, Farms, Boom or Bust: Como Neighborhood’s Colorful History.” Ramsey County History 19, no. 1 (1983): 13–22.
Schmidt, Andrew J. “Planning St. Paul’s Como Park: Pleasure and Recreation for the People.” Minnesota History 58, no. 1 (Spring 2002): 40–58.
http://collections.mnhs.org/MNHistoryMagazine/articles/58/v58i01p040-058.pdf
Web
City of Saint Paul. Como Regional Park.
https://www.stpaul.gov/departments/parks-recreation/como-park-zoo-conservatory/como-regional-park
Como Woodland Outdoor Classroom. Como Park Area History.
http://www.comowoodland.org/como-park-history.html
Related Images

Marjorie McNeely Conservatory (Como Park Conservatory)
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Conservatory exterior
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Palm Dome interior
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Construction of the conservatory
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Construction workers in front of the conservatory
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Conservatory construction
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Flower show at the conservatory
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Sunken Garden interior
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Conservatory exterior
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Postcard of the Conservatory
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Sunken Garden
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Conservatory with special front for St. Paul Winter Carnival
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Restoration work being done on the Conservatory
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Conservatory postcard
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Hailstorm damage on Conservatory roof
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Como Conservatory exterior
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Restoration work on the Conservatory
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Pencil drawing of the conservatory
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Related Articles
Turning Point
Como Conservatory receives its designation as a historic property in the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. This status protects it from demolition and sparks public interest in restoring and improving the building for future generations.
Chronology
1873
1891
1915
1918
1927
1962
1963
1974
1974
1978
1984
1999
1999
2002
2005
2015
Bibliography
American Society for Horticultural Science. HortLandmark Designation.
http://www.ashs.org/?page=HortLandmarkDesigna
City of Saint Paul, Division of Parks and Recreation. Como Park Master Plan. St. Paul: City of Saint Paul, Division of Parks and Recreation, 1981.
Clasemann, Audrey. St. Paul’s Como Park: Its History, Its Charm. Typescript, 1992.
Como Park Zoo & Conservatory. History.
http://www.comozooconservatory.org/about/history/#/history
Kelley, Ann. City of St. Paul, Como Park: A Romance: 1873 to 1973. St. Paul: [N.p.], 1973.
Knutson, Jennifer. Making History—Como Park Conservatory. St. Paul: City of Saint Paul, Division of Parks and Recreation, 1995.
Park Board Records, 1887–ca. 1943
Board of Park Commissioners of the City of Saint Paul, Records.
State Archives Collection, Minnesota Historical Society, St. Paul
http://www2.mnhs.org/library/findaids/gr00518.xml
Description: Park Board meeting minutes, especially May 7, 1891 minutes describing the appointment of Frederick Nussbaumer to Park Superintendent.
Roethke, Leigh, and Bonnie Blodgett. Jewel of Como: The Marjorie McNeely Conservatory. Afton, MN: Afton Historical Society Press, 2009.
Walsh, James. “St. Paul's Como Park Conservatory Celebrates a Century.” Minneapolis Star Tribune, June 19, 2015.
http://www.startribune.com/st-paul-s-marjorie-mcneely-conservatory-celebrates-a-century/308564181/#1
“Work on Como Dome.” St. Paul Dispatch, October 29, 1954.
Related Resources
Secondary
Murphy, Patricia, and Gary Phelps. “Swamps, Farms, Boom or Bust: Como Neighborhood’s Colorful History.” Ramsey County History 19, no. 1 (1983): 13–22.
Schmidt, Andrew J. “Planning St. Paul’s Como Park: Pleasure and Recreation for the People.” Minnesota History 58, no. 1 (Spring 2002): 40–58.
http://collections.mnhs.org/MNHistoryMagazine/articles/58/v58i01p040-058.pdf
Web
City of Saint Paul. Como Regional Park.
https://www.stpaul.gov/departments/parks-recreation/como-park-zoo-conservatory/como-regional-park
Como Woodland Outdoor Classroom. Como Park Area History.
http://www.comowoodland.org/como-park-history.html