@backpackandsnorkel

Pittsburgh originally had two public conservatories,
both established by Henry Phipps, Jr.,
childhood friend of Andrew Carnegie
and second largest shareholder in Carnegie Steel.

In 1886, Phipps donated $25,000 to establish a glasshouse in his hometown of #Allegheny #City
—today’s North Side.

This first Phipps Conservatory became a very popular destination.
It has undergone many iterations,
and we know the site today as the National Aviary.

The 9-room Phipps Conservatory in Oakland’s #Schenley #Park opened in December 1893 as another gift from Henry Phipps, Jr.
—this time to the City of Pittsburgh.

It showcased many plants that had been on display at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago.

THE FRICK GREENHOUSE

The #Frick #Greenhouse was built in 1897
when Mr. Frick hired the Pittsburgh architectural firm of Alden & Harlow to add to his estate.

It wasn’t the first such structure at Clayton, but this new one was meant to be a showpiece.

According to the papers “no expense was spared” and it was described as " . . . one of the most modern public or private ones in the state of Pennsylvania, and possibly in the United States.”

Alden & Harlow worked with Lord & Burnham, an American company
renowned for its conservatory design.

Among other efforts, The New York state-based Lord & Burnham created the Schenley Phipps buildings,
worked on the Golden Gate Conservatory,
and designed the conservatory at The New York Botanical Garden.

Glass houses like the Frick building were often built of durable cypress or white pine, with structural elements of iron or steel.

https://www.thefrickpittsburgh.org/Story-PITTSBURGH-GILDED-AGE-CONSERVATORIES