Archive for the ‘Garden’ Category
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Workdays
Take a Saturday morning and show the Conservatory some TLC. Under supervision of RPD gardeners, weeding, clean-up. Thanks to observant + loyal Friend Sally Ross for keeping an eye on the weeds and getting our workdays coordinated with RPD. Refreshments Served. Our next workday is TBA.
Featured Project: Conservatory Median Project. Enjoying the eye-candy in front of the Conservatory (200 block of Monterey between Baden + Congo). We are indebted to Friend Andrea O’Leary for the vision and determination to … Read More
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History
How rare to come upon an authentic space of wonder in the middle of the city grid.
William Augustus Merralls, a British engineer and inventor, built this Victorian oasis next to his home on an old dairy farm, in the new Sunnyside District in 1898. Merralls’s original vision was to gather up exotic treasures for his own private delight. His home (now 258 Monterey) still stands today. A serial entrepreneur, Merralls made his money in the invention and sale … Read More
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Enjoy the Gardens and Palm Grove.
The days are beginning to shorten and nightfall arrives more quickly, but it’s still a great time to visit the Conservatory and grounds.
Historic Chilean wine, Canary Island date, and Chinese windmill palms grace the exquisite Conservatory Garden. Jason Dewees of the Palm Broker @ Flora Grubb wrote a wonderful blog post about the Conservatory’s historic palm grove.
Shout-outs are in order to principal guardian angels of the Garden. San Francisco’s own Vera Gates, Landscape Architect/Principal, Arterra, llp, served … Read More
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Sunnyside Menagerie
We’re thrilled with our Menagerie in the Conservatory garden. When the Friends asked for “inventive delights” and “wonder, whimsy, and the stubbornly quirky and daring,” Wowhaus understood us. It was a joy to work with Scott + Ene during the process. Visitors always comment on the “fabulous,” “wonderfully odd,” “weird and groovy” sculptures, and the “elegant” design choices.
Sunnyside Menagerie is a collection of 23 fantastical bronze creatures designed by the artist team of Wowhaus. Commissioned by the SFAC’s Public
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W.A. Merralls
William Augustus Merralls, a British engineer and inventor, built this quirky Victorian oasis next to his home on an old dairy farm, in the new Sunnyside District in 1898. A serial entrepreneur, Merralls made his money in the invention and sale of power mining equipment; he also had shipping interests, worked on the cooling systems of subway cars, and shopped proposals for flying engines. If he was around today, he’d probably be into cloud computing, high speed rail, and … Read More
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Observatory
Merralls not only wanted to gather up rare earthly plant specimens for his private delight; he also wanted bring celestial wonders closer to home. Look up—way-up—over the west fence of the Conservatory property and you can see the “water-tower” base of what one once Merralls’s Observatory. Loyal Friend + Conservatory neighbor Chester Hartsough, who lives in Merralls’s original home, found as a child two glass negatives of the Conservatory and Observatory in his attic. The photo of the path … Read More
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