Dan Antion

Phipps Conservatory – #ThursdayDoors

Phipps Conservatory – complete with lamps for Joey.

I’ve been saving the door pictures from Phipps Conservatory for a day like this. I had a couple of busy days at work and I got an early start on the renovation project (because rain is in the weekend forecast). In addition, this week began with a Sunday-to-Monday overnight low of 23°f (-5°c), so sharing pictures of warm green plants is a good feeling. Not too many words today, but this from the No Facilities Research Department:

“The gardens were founded in 1893 by steel and real-estate magnate Henry Phipps as a gift to the City of Pittsburgh. Its purpose is to educate and entertain the people of Pittsburgh with formal gardens (Roman, English, etc.) and various species of exotic plants (palm trees, succulents, bonsai, orchids, etc.). Currently, the facilities house elaborate gardens within the fourteen room conservatory itself and on the adjoining grounds. In addition to its primary flora exhibits, the sophisticated glass and metalwork of the Lord & Burnham conservatory offers an interesting example of Victorian greenhouse architecture.”

The 14 buildings under glass are connected by doors and doorways, so I think this is a fitting venue from which to celebrate the weekly festival of doors brought to us by our benefactor, Norm Frampton. If you like doors, if you have pictures of doors that you’d like to share, head on up to Norm’s Conservatory in Montreal. Push your way through the flowers and check out Norm’s doors. Then look around for the gardener (blue frog) – click on that little tadpole for admission to the main garden.

There are no pictures without plants.
Some of the glass sculptures that are mixed in with the plants.
Faith is checking the map.
They’re setting up a new display in the room. It’s going to include a train layout. Imagine, being paid to set up a train layout.
This is the entrance to the Bonsai garden. That garden is outside, but we didn’t mind getting a little wet.
Inside one of the water features.
The heads are a little creepy. This installation was created by a local artist. Fountains beneath the surface can be controlled by visitors.
Doors, doorways and cabinets.
There are doors of all sizes and shapes throughout the gardens.
I was struck by the contrast between the well-crafted wooden doors inside a glass structure.
There’s a door, just about in the center in the back of this garden.
This system opens the greenhouse windows (like doors). I had to include this :-)
125 years of beauty on display.
When it opened, Phipps was the largest glass building in the United States.
I love the tiny little doors.
So many doors.
Doors between gardens.
The doorway includes a curtain of hanging chains.
OK, it’s not a door, but the chipmunk enters and exits.

85 comments

  8. This looks like a perfect place for me and Sarah. Unfortunately, we don’t have a macrophotography DSLR lens but we try out best to shoot with whatever affordable camera we have. Sometimes when we have a budget we are stuck with a question that repeatedly haunts us. Should we buy a good DSLR camera or go on a trip? We choose the latter, like we did a month ago.

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    • I would make the same choice, Sharukh. Actually, after suffering a shoulder injury, about 10 years ago, I stopped carrying a DSLR due to the weight of the bag. I have a small point & shoot. It has a nice zoom and a close-up capability. Not as good as a variety of lenses, but it works for me.

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      • If you noticed, lately I have moved from photography to just content creating. Sarah loves photography so I let her do it. She has an eye for detail, but sometimes I show her different angles, but I want her to grow her skills. Initially, she was just behind the scenes, but with Travel India Destinations, we work as a team. I take her along to all travel conventions, exhibitions and shows. She doesn’t like the tag of being the Co-Owner but I thought that is the only way I can officially take her everywhere. The reason we normally choose trip over DSLR is because DSLR is a bit complicated than our bridge camera. Right now she is complete control over the camera she has in hand. I had a tough time carrying around that monopod bag you see in most pictures. It is a 3 kilogram bag (with monopod in it).

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  10. 23 degrees?! We are cold here with the temps dropping down to the high 50’s. Ha! We are such babies.
    The conservatory is beautiful. I love going to gardens like this. The chipmunk–so cute!

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  11. Dan, this is a beautiful and imaginative Doors post. I really enjoyed the tour. The first slide is a cool way of beginning it, with the door in the background. Hey — it’s a door to the chipmunk! :) I like those double arched doors between gardens. I got a kick out of the head-planters in the pool. I imagine them lurking just beneath the surface, plants on head as camouflage, and the slowly rising up for a look around.
    Have a thriving Thursday. Hugs!

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  12. It’s a ‘Doorfest’ this week….big, little, wood, glass, chain, and even a non-existent chipmunk door! This place is incredible. The plants are beyond beautiful, but that glass sculpture is gorgeous. Thanks for the tour. Hope you have an opportunity to return on a day when it’s not raining to see the outside gardens too.
    🔹 Ginger 🔹

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  14. Dan, I had to have a bit of a chuckle heading into your world of the neatly manicured conservatory garden after wrapping up mine covering Sydney University’s Graffiti Tunnel, which has a lot of doors throughout and secret rooms. Well, they were secret to me anyway.
    We don’t have a lot of indoor conservatories or gardens here in Australia as our climate is very different. So, I had quite a feel of being somewhere else looking at your photos, which is one of the things I love about blogging in general and Thursday Doors does it well.
    I could imagine films being made in each of our locations but I think the protagonist could fall through a secret door from your conservatory into my graffiti tunnel and there begins their challenge.
    Best wishes,
    Rowena

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    • I could see entering one of these little doors and emerging in your tunnel. That’s a movie in the making.

      I also love seeing places that are far away and different from what we have. This series is so much fun for that.

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  18. That’s a lovely way to spend a rainy day! It’s so pretty. I loved the bricked arched doorways between gardens, and the floating heads were a bit creepy. Perfect this month though.

    If I’m not mistaken the group Lord & Burnham set up the Conservatory building in Golden Gate Park too. It too is a Victorian structure. If I were rich I’d have one too. Of course, I’d need a full-time gardener since I haven’t got a green thumb, but I’d love visiting it every day, and/or just admiring the building.

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    • I think you’re right. The buildings are very similar. I’m wondering if the brick doorways are where the structure once ended and they added on. It’s hard to tell. And yes, I could turn this place into desert if I had to care for the plants.

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  20. Great post Dan and yes it’s a good time to be indoors, or someplace warm ;-)
    I always marvel at the amount of work, dedication and planning that goes into maintaining places like this. I will defintely have to check this place out if I ever make it back to Pittsburgh.

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  22. Conservatories are wonderful places to go on a cold &/or wet day. I love the glass sculptures and the heads in the fountain are actually quite cool with the plants sticking out.

    I think you may have to find a reason to return to Pittsburg to see the train display 🙂

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  23. I really like the way glass and nature are worked together in many modern conservatories, Dan. Phipps Conservatory is gorgeous through your lens! I liked the water body with the orange flowering plants. Water and plants give us so many negative ions which lift our spirits! This post helped to lift mine up! :D

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  25. So pretty :) I think it’s nice to visit these places when the weather is all cold and icky, for the very same reason you think it’s nice to post them on cold and icky days. I definitely heart the arched doors between gardens. Gorgeous.

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  27. Hi Dan – I immediately thought of Kew Gardens just outside London – that’s had its glass houses revamped and I must get to see them when I return. Lovely photos and interesting to see the 1893 open date … must have been a star attraction … and still is – thanks – cheers Hilary

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      • Fairly certain you’re right there … even for many Europeans who left via England – but lots of others came from European ports – as one can see in other names … it’s interesting … I hadn’t heard of Kew Gardens in NYC .. .cheers H

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  30. I think those little doors and how they have been placed are very unique, Dan. We have a conservatory here and every time I go there my filter steams up. LOL It is getting cooler here as well and today seeing that it’s a relatively partial cloudy day, hubby and I are again going out on a camera shoot. Do you think he’s finally got the bug? I’m holding my breath… Have a great day today! ?😁

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  34. This was delightful and so beautiful. I love the old photo of the Conservatory in the 1890’s. I wonder if the glass sculptures among the gardens were done by Chihuly. Thanks for a great post, Dan.

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  35. Oh what a beautiful place – could spend hours here! And some great doors! Life is very unpredictable at the moment for a blogger – Hope you’re enjoying your weekend!

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  36. Any conservatory is always gorgeous. With a good restaurant and bookshop my husband and I often pick a town or city if there is also a botanical garden or conservatory. Each one is specific and yours is no different. Great photo gallery!

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