Franklin Park Conservatory

The first county fair was held in Franklin Park in 1852. The Franklin Park Victorian Conservatory was modeled after the Glass Palace at the Columbian Exposition in Chicago (1893). It contains 73,000 square feet of greenhouses and classrooms situated in a 90-acre urban park. The conservatory is now ringed with display gardens, including a Japanese Garden and a Victory Garden, celebrating the end of World War II and the defeat of Japan. The Conservatory is the only botanical garden in the world to own a signature collection from the internationally acclaimed artist, Dale Chihuly.