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Inspired by Nature: The Garfield Park Conservatory and Chicago's West Side Paperback – November 30, 2007

by Julia S. Bachrach (Author), Jo Ann Nathan (Author), Alex Kotlowitz (Foreword)

4.8 12 ratings

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One of the nation’s most stunning and intriguing botanical havens, the Garfield Park Conservatory celebrates its one-hundredth anniversary in 2008. Often referred to as “landscape art under glass,” Jens Jensen’s revolutionary design is a poetic interpretation of his beloved Midwestern landscape as it was in prehistoric times. The tropical plantings, water features and stonework were in shocking contrast to the showy displays of typical Victorian hothouses, and his Conservatory quickly became one of the region’s most captivating attractions.

The Conservatory is at the center of a larger story: how nature, urban design, and horticulture helped to shape one of Chicago’s most interesting neighborhoods. As early as the 1870s, architect and engineer William Le Baron Jenney began the verdant tradition of Chicago’s West Side by designing its seminal park and boulevard system. For more than a century, ideas and visions of nature have influenced the development of Garfield Park, its magnificent conservatory, and the surrounding West Side community. Today gardening and the greening movement are a catalyst for reviving this vital part of Chicago.

Published in honor of the centennial, Inspired by Nature blossoms into a living history that looks to the future, and covers everything from the history of the conservatory and Garfield Park to the revival of the surrounding community. This fascinating and comprehensive volume includes historical essays, archival photography and plans, as well as contemporary color photography by Brook Collins. Inspired by Nature also features vignettes by Chicago Public School students, who write about their experiences as members of the Garfield Park Community. A reflection of the passionate interest and partnerships behind the Garfield Park revival, as well as a celebration of nature’s important role in people’s lives, Inspired by Nature is an essential publication for anyone with an interest in Chicago history, urban parks and communities, and the botanic splendor of the Garfield Park Conservatory.

Print length

160 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Garfield Park Conservatory Alliance
Publication date

November 30, 2007
Dimensions

9.75 x 0.5 x 8 inches
ISBN-10

0979412501
ISBN-13

978-0979412509
See all details

Julia S. Bachrach
8
Paperback
7 offers from $69.97

Editorial Reviews

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"You really need a gift for a Chicago gardener? . . . See if your local bookstore has "Inspired by Nature" . . . . It's a fascinating history of the 100-year-old horticultural landmark, designed by Jens Jensen, its evolution and that of the community around it. It would be a good present for anyone with an interest in Chicago history too." -- Beth Botts ― Chicago Gardener

About the Author

Alex Kotlowitz is the award-winning author of four books, including the national best-seller There Are No Children Here, and, most recently, An American Summer. His work has appeared in the New Yorker, in New York Times Magazine, and on This American Life. He teaches at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Garfield Park Conservatory Alliance; First Edition (US) First Printing. (November 30, 2007)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 160 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0979412501
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0979412509
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.5 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 9.75 x 0.5 x 8 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #3,260,489 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #2,257 in Urban & Land Use Planning (Books)
- #66,949 in U.S. State & Local History

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Susan A. Benning

Very Informative!

Reviewed in the United States on July 14, 2018

Verified Purchase

A wonderful book describing the history of The Garfield Park Conservatory, in Chicago Il. I have added it to my "Chicago" Book Collection.

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Beverly Holcomb

Garfield Park Conservatory

Reviewed in the United States on August 18, 2013

Verified Purchase

I really enjoyed reading this book about a place that has always been dear to my heart since I grew up near the conservatory, and spent many days there. It took me out of the city to so many other climates, and the beauty of the place was breath taking.

Reviewed in the United States on October 15, 2015

Verified Purchase

Great book! A must have for students of Chicago's park system.

Reviewed in the United States on July 31, 2015

Great

A City in a Garden: Growth, Decline and Renewal

Reviewed in the United States on October 15, 2008

The rich and diverse history of Garfield Park, which was the former headquarters of the West Park Board (the former park board office building now serves the public as a field house), and its surrounding residential neighborhoods is put on full display in this magnificent new book which includes a fascinating collection of period photographs and a lively and thoughtful text. While many Chicagoans are vaguely aware of the historic park district conservatory and the botanical gardens located on the grounds, there is so much more to the story!

Much of the West Side was annexed to the City of Chicago a few short years before the Chicago Fire of 1871. The annexation required the city to move its border past the eponynmic Western Avenue to Crawford Avenue(which was subsequently renamed Pulaski Road as city politicians courted favor with Polish-American voters decades later). Following the great fire, many displaced residents of the central city opted to settle on the West Side which had been buffered from the flames by the Chicago River. Within a few years, the elegant Ashland Avenue neighborhood, anchored by Union Park, experienced a residential decline and some property owners looked to establish new homes opposite the parks and boulevards planned farther to the West as warehouses and tenements replaced mansions on the near West Side.

For a time, the horse racing industry, which included both legal and illegal track meets, depending upon the whims of the Illinois legislature and the official indifference of the Chicago Police Department to organized gambling, was based opposite Garfield Park, close to the city limits. Eventually, sufficient pressure was applied by reform elements to shut down the popular horse tracks.

Chicago's Central Park was renamed for President James A. Garfield following his assassination. William Le Baron Jenney, the noted architect who is credited with building Chicago's first skyscraper, was the initial developer of the park who cleared the land, drained the swamps and laid out the grounds. After this promising start, corrupt patronage politics and wasteful spending nearly bankrupted the West Park Board.

The development was renewed in large part due to the appointment of the acclaimed landscape designer Jens Jensen who labored to beautify Garfield Park and frequently had to battle political interference to realize his prairie inspired vision for the green space. In time, Garfield Park would have its own golf course and lagoon. Jensen was also instrumental in creating such beautiful neighboring parks as Douglas Park to the south, Humboldt Park to the north and Columbus Park to the west. Eventually, the multiple park districts serving the city were consolidated into the unified Chicago Park District in 1934.

Urban decay and white flight to suburbia hastened the decline of the West Side during the Fifties and Sixties. The construction of the Congress expressway divided portions of the community and necessitated the demolition of several blocks of homes. What was once a racially and ethnically diverse area which had included African American, Italian, Irish and Jewish households and a thriving retail shopping district became an almost exclusively African American enclave within the space of a few years. The urban riots of 1968 which were accompanied by arson and looting caused many people to avoid visiting the impoverished Garfield Park neighborhood for decades afterwards.

Thankfully, there are optimistic signs of renewal centered upon the restoration and revival of Garfield Park as the conservatory observes its centennial. This book is a welcome addition to that worthwhile cause. Both authors are to be commended. This West Side story may have a happy ending.

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Gary T. Johnson

A lushly-illustrated gem

Reviewed in the United States on January 28, 2010

The centennial of Chicago's Garfield Park Conservatory inspired this lushly-illustrated book. It includes both historical pieces and stories from those who have lived in the area. Architect William LeBaron Jenney leads off the story with his plans for West Side boulevards and gardens and continues to the Conservatory's present rebirth. Chicagoans' memories are fresh of the dramatic reglazing project of 2003, which, for a time, made the Palm House look like a dinosaur skeleton on display in a museum. I loved reading about the double coconut trees, the "Mona Lisa of palms," which were moved after the reglazing to the center of the structure where they would have room to grow. The forward by Alex Kotlowitz is a gem.

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C. Lane

grab it!

Reviewed in the United States on December 13, 2007

Having visited Garfield Park Conservatory multiple times, I wanted to know more about the neighborhood. I sensed that there was a lot more to the story for a place that has such a gem of a facility in its ranks. The book has GORGEOUS pictures that really tell the story or Garfield Park's evolution. This neighborhood is in the midst of another revitalization and this book really completes the picture of how all of it came to be.

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Kevin Gwin

Great book

Reviewed in the United States on December 15, 2007

As a west side resident who lives down the street from the conservatory, I have long been curious about the history of the neighborhood, the park, and the conservatory. This book had great information and leads me to want to learn more about the history of the west side.

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