Lincoln Park Conservatory
Lincoln Park Conservatory, built between 1890 and 1895, is America's only public Victorian-style greenhouse.
During a pivotal period in Chicago's history, the Lincoln Park Conservatory emerged from the ashes of a swamp and a cemetery, once a breeding ground for diseases like cholera, to become a beacon of health and beauty.
Designed by architects Joseph Lyman Silsbee and M.E. Bell, the Conservatory was referred to as a 'Paradise under glass.' It supported 'a luxuriant tropical growth, blending the whole into a natural grouping of Nature's loveliest forms.' A lot of changes have taken place at the Conservatory since its beginnings, such as limestone being added across the perimeter. But some things have remained the same: the steam heating system, the old-fashioned ventilation systems, and the warmth it provides Chicagoans during its frigid winters.