
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.
Quite a unique building! With all those funny sized doors, are there any secret passageways or secret room?
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That’s what I was thinking 🙂
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PS. Then it’s a Chipmunk door. 😉
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I agree! Thanks for the comments on the pictures.
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What a cool looking building. It looks like a fun place to explore.
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It was a great place to spend a rainy day, Mike. The gardens are so pretty.
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If I ever get to Pittsburgh this is on my list. Looks like a beautiful place to spend the day…. especially mid winter!
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It is a very nice place to spend a day. Inside, surrounded by beauty.
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city of the Penguins, I liked the glass sculptures.. a must see if I ever get down that way
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And then, 15 minutes across town (in light traffic) is the National Aviary, where you can see actual penguins (the other ones are in between the two spots.
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My kind of place – plants and doors. :-) Another garden I need to see if I get in the area. :-)
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You would appreciate the gardens (and understand the work involved). It was raining too hard to visit any of the outside gardens.
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I don’t live anywhere near, but I am a Pittsburg Penguins fan!! I would like to see them play sometime, they have come to play Ottawa, but it is not often.
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Always good to know another fan. We don’t get to see them very often, only when we visit Pittsburgh during the season. We follow from a distance.
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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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She does quite well, and I like the addition of the short videos.
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Well, it was you who inspired her to do short videos. You put those 10 seconds clips on YouTube and she was like I’m gonna do this too. I was like Okay Co-Owner.
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:-)
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What a wonderful wander through a beautiful garden! Love the chipmunk.
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Thanks Pam. It was a fun visit. The chipmunk was scurrying around. It was hard to get a picture of him. I have a lot of “floor where the chipmunk was” pictures.
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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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It’s mostly been in the low 40s-high30s overnight and in the 50s during the day. Good weather to work in, but rain is coming for the weekend.
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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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Thanks Teagan. I like where your imagination took you on the heads in the water. I was surprised at how many doors there were in this place.
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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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Thanks Ginger. I haven’t seen the outside gardens in over 50 years. I can’t even imagine what they might look like. But, I loved seeing the variety of doors.
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What a pretty place. I want one. :-)
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Ha ha – I wish I could deliver.
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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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Lovely walk through the greenhouses. Reminded me of the conservatory in Edenburg Scotland. Great photos, Dan
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Thanks John. I haven’t been in many. I hadn’t been here since an elementary school field trip 😮
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:-)
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Oh, you’ve reminded me that I haven’t been to our conservatory in years! Might be a good way to spend a wintry Sunday afternoon – once we’re done with the last of the painting and decorating at our house.
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It was very nice in a cold rainy day. I think winter would be a good time to go.
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I love conservatories. If I was a billionaire I’d definitely built one!
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I’m afraid that’s what it would take today.
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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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Thank you so much for this post! I adore gardens and conservatories! Those arched doors in the brick wall win the day, IMO. And the special guest chipmunk.
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I’m glad you enjoyed this, Marian. The place really is beautiful.
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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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Thanks Norm. Maintenance is a constant struggle, but they do a great job of it.
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Absolutely lovely pictures. Farmers almanac does not look good for the mid-west or the north east this winter. So stay warm it is just now starting.
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Thanks Anita. I hope the almanac is wrong, but…
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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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I think you might be right 😏
We White this visit. I’d be inclined to check out others.
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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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I’m glad you enjoyed this, Robin. I wanted to include the water features (even though there’s no door). I’m glad you liked them.
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We were there many years ago, so thanks for a lovely re-visit. On a gloomy day here, it brightened the afternoon.
janet
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I’m glad, Janet. I hadn’t been there in over 50 years.
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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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Thanks. I think this was a good choice for a dreary day. Then and now.
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Phipps Conservatory looks very much like the Conservatory in Golden Gate Park. It’s beautiful, Dan.
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Deborah mentioned that it was designed by the same firm. I’ve seen both. They are beautiful.
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They’re gorgeous. When I first saw the image I thought it was in Golden Gate Park.
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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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Thanks Hilary. When I lived in New York (1977-78) I lived in Queens, not far from an area called Kew Gardens. Seems like every place here ties back to England.
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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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Gorgeous building. Looks like a great place to explore.
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Thanks Damyanti.
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nice
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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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Thanks Amy. Good luck on the walk.
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I love conservatories. Unfortunately, there aren’t any close where I live. The last time I was able to walk around in one was some time in the 1980s and it was in Denver.
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I hadn’t been in this one since the 60s. It is beautiful.
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Excellent images and information. It reminds me that all doors lead to somewhere. :-)
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Thanks. The guide for getting through was “turn right at every doorway.”
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That’s a good guide. 👍🙂
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It worked. We saw everything.
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I need to do that. 🙂
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Great pics Dan…love all of them!!
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Thanks Kirt.
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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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Thanks Jennie. Those are Chihuly sculptures. I think there are a total of 18. They were loaned to the conservatory to put on display. They proved so popular, that funds were raised to purchase them.
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I’m so glad to learn that. He is amazing.
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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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Thanks. We had a quiet rainy day yesterday. Not sure what today will bring.
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After a pretty hot 70-80 degr. all week, we suddenly have a very foggy Sunday morning!
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Is that normal for your area? California is such a big state, it’s hard to keep track. We won’t see 70-80 degree days for about 7 months.
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Yes, that is normal, but no rain is included in that! After spring we had rain one time (up till now) and everyone spoke about it!
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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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Thanks Evelyne. I think I would include conservatories/botanical gardens in things to do in most cities. I hadn’t been to this one in a very long time, and we really enjoyed it.
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