Acres of glass rise at the entrance in front of you, Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, one of the finest Victorian glass conservatories surviving in the United States. Henry Phipps Jr. built and donated this conservatory to the city of Pittsburgh in 1893. Phipps was Carnegie's childhood friend and business partner, who helped Carnegie finance his earliest industrial ventures and became a partner in Carnegie Steel.
When Carnegie sold the company to J.P. Morgan in 1901, Phipps's share was $43 million. Like Carnegie, Phipps became a major philanthropist. The conservatory he gave Pittsburgh was modeled on the great Victorian glasshouses of England, particularly those at Kew Gardens, and housed tropical plants, orchids, and seasonal floral displays across acres of glass-enclosed garden space.
It has been continuously operated since 1893 and has expanded significantly, adding LEED Platinum certified sustainable additions that make it one of the greenest museum buildings in the world. Phipps now operates extensive programs in sustainable horticulture and environmental education alongside its traditional botanical mission. The orchid and butterfly rooms are spectacular in season.
The conservatory sits at the edge of Schenley Park, forming the cultural corridor that Carnegie and Phipps created from a former private suburban estate.