The Anna Scripps Whitcomb Conservatory is located on Detroit’s Belle Isle in the Detroit River, nestled between the city’s near East side and Windsor, Ontario, Canada. Located just two miles from Detroit’s downtown, it will soon be connected to that area via the city’s burgeoning International River Walk. The Conservatory, in operation since 1904, features five distinct horticultural houses showcasing plants indigenous around the globe as well as an outside Lily Pond Garden and formal perennial gardens. It is a popular spot for weddings and a Mecca for both professional and amateur photographers.

Owned and operated by the City of Detroit Recreation and General Services Departments, the Conservatory is open Wednesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. There is no admission charge. The phone number for the Conservatory is 313-821-5428.   For information about scheduling weddings, professional photography or other events at the conservatory or gardens, please contact the Island Administration office at 313-628-2081.

The Belle Isle Botanical Society

A key supporter and advocate of the Conservatory is the Belle Isle Botanical Society (BIBS), founded in 1988 in an effort to highlight this jewel of the city by helping to preserve and enrich it. The mission of BIBS is to raise funds and seek donations for the restoration and maintenance of the Conservatory and surrounding gardens; to provide educational programs for the public; to make the Conservatory a cultural, educational and scientific destination for U.S. and international visitors; and to work with the City of Detroit to achieve these goals. BIBS is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) volunteer organization.

BIBS Educational Programs

BIBS members volunteer thousands of hours annually gardening in and around the Conservatory and greenhouses, conducting guided tours by trained docents, hosting Science Learning Lab programs for school children, and raising funds for preserving and maintaining the historic building and its setting.

More than 4,000 Metro Detroit area school children have participated in BIBS Science Learning labs, which focus on the life cycle of plants and seek to match academic curriculum guidelines. Additionally, BIBS has hosted scouts, churches and other community groups at the labs. The feedback, according to many docents, “is exceptional. We intend to make certain the labs continue to flourish and expand.”

BIBS’ trained docents – drawn from many educational backgrounds and rich life experiences – also conduct adult guided tours of the Conservatory. The tours give historical facts about the Conservatory and detailed information about the resident plants.

BIBS Preservation Efforts

Save America’s Treasures, a federal government program, awarded the City of Detroit Recreation Department $340,000 matching grant in 2005 for restoration of the Conservatory's central dome. This was a highly competitive process and Detroit was very fortunate to obtain this grant. As a result, over the past few years, 500 panes of broken and chipped glass were replaced and caulked, the glass in the Conservatory dome cleaned, the heating system replaced, the foundation repaired and numerous maintenance items completed.

More recently, BIBS working with various Grosse Pointe Garden Clubs, has raised nearly $50,000.  The first project with the Junior League Gardeners made repairs to the Lily Pond Garden-replacing boulders, relining the pond, installing a viewing area and making landscaping upgrades.  The Garden Club of Michigan raised funds to install new signage throughout the Conservatory, a project that should be complete this year.  The Grosse Pointe Farm and Garden Club and Grosse Pointe Garden Club have raised monies to repair to stairways in the gardens.  In addition, BIBS is making heating and lighting upgrades to the Fernery thanks to a bequest from Sylvia Becherer, a charter member.

For More Information

For further information about BIBS and its programs, please call 313-331-7760. For information about BIBS financial status, please visit the Links section of our website.