Rawlings Conservatory- Baltimore, MD

In a less global time, non-native vegetation was rare, and large botanical conservatories were built to grow these exotic specimens.  The Victorian era is considered the golden age of conservatory construction, and it is during this time Rawlings Conservatory was built. 

In 1874 a committee formed for the purpose of establishing a conservatory in Baltimore’s Druid Hill Park. Park architect George A. Frederick was enlisted to design the building. Committee member Abbott Kenny traveled to England to visit the famous Kew Gardens, which was to be the model for Baltimore’s new conservatory.

The idea was then tabled, but the conservatory was eventually built, opening to great fan fare on August 26, 1888.  The original structure, named the Druid Hill Conservatory, had a Palm House and Orchid room, species which were very popular at the time.

Today, renamed The Howard Peters Rawlings Conservatory following a 2002 renovation, it is the second oldest steel framed glass building in the United States.  Its collection has grown to include outdoor gardens, 3 greenhouses, and display pavilions.

Although the surrounding area probably isn’t as nice as it once was, the conservatory is still a pleasant place to visit. The architecture of the original structure is every bit as impressive today as it was in 1888. Even location scouts agree-the conservatory made an appearance in the 2014 film Better Living Through Chemistry, which was primarily filmed in Annapolis.