Belle Isle Conservatory

The Anna Scripps Whitcomb Conservatory is a large greenhouse featuring five distinct sections for different plant types: a palm house, tropical house, cactus house, fernery, and show house. Its central dome reaches 85 feet and houses tropical plants, with a lily pond containing Japanese koi located nearby.

The building opened in 1904, designed by architects George D. Mason and Albert Kahn, originally serving as the Horticultural Building on Detroit's island park. Over the decades it evolved into a center focused on orchid collections and tropical plants.

The conservatory bears the name of Anna Scripps Whitcomb, whose 1955 donation of orchids transformed the space into a major plant collection hub. Visitors today experience how this gift shaped the botanical gardens' character and focus.

Access to the conservatory is free, and visitors can explore the different sections year-round. The best time to visit is during the orchid blooming seasons, and comfortable walking shoes are recommended since you'll spend time moving through the various greenhouses.

East of the main building stand twenty greenhouse structures that cultivate specialized plant collections like bromeliads and additional orchid varieties under controlled conditions. These structures often go unnoticed by visitors but represent the core of the botanical work happening on-site.