A Midcentury Icon: 50 Years of the Boettcher Memorial Tropical Conservatory

Enjoy 60s-themed appetizers and nonalcoholic beverages, tours of the conservatory, a panel discussion and more.

The Gardens’ Boettcher Memorial Tropical Conservatory was completed in 1966. The building has been a midcentury architectural landmark for 50 years. Designed by architects Victor Hornbein and Ed White, the 11,500 square foot building took two years to build and is the only conservatory in the country made of cast-in-place concrete. Even before its completion, the building won international recognition for its unique design and unusual structure. More than 600 species and varieties of tropical plants are displayed. The tropical terrain includes pools, waterfalls and four resident ducks.

To celebrate this anniversary, the Gardens is hosting a special event. Guests are invited to enjoy 60s-themed appetizers, nonalcoholic beverages, live jazz by Linda Maich and Sean McGowan and tours of the conservatory. The Boettcher Tropical Conservatory will be open after dark to allow the rare opportunity to tour the space with horticulturists and docents. Markers will identify plants that have been present since 1966.

The event moves into Mitchell Hall for a video interview with lead architect Ed White, Dan Havekost associate architect and Richard Breaker from GH Phipps Construction. A panel discussion with architecture and history experts further explores how this building has been an icon on Denver’s architectural landscape and continues to inspire architects and enthusiasts of midcentury design.

Panel Participants:
Brian Vogt, Denver Botanic Gardens CEO – Moderator
David Daniel, Associate Principal, Davis Partnership Architects
Kurt Klanderud, President of GH Phipps Construction Companies
Kim Manajek, Associate Director of Exhibitions, Art & Interpretation at Denver Botanic Gardens
Steve Turner, Vice President of Preservation Programs at History Colorado, State Historic Preservation Officer

Tickets: $25 nonmember; $20 member

More info and tickets: http://www.botanicgardens.org/events/special-events/midcentury-icon-50-years-boettcher-memorial-tropical-conservatory