Overlooking the town of Hershey PA, the Hershey Gardens Conservatory is a place that will take your breath away. The dream of Milton Hershey, 75 years in the making, the conservatory is arguably the best part of the botanical gardens.
With the advantage of 3 oversize 9′ x 22′ metal framed skylights on each wing, and a massive 22′ x 52′ glass atrium in the center, the facility comes to life in natural daylight.
“From the opening of the gardens going forward, Hershey Gardens will not close for a season,” Dan Babbitt, Associate Director said. “It will be open year-round, so we can be more available to schools and service a lot more school groups.”
Upon entering the conservatory visitors are greeted by huge trees that reach upward to a 37-foot-high glass atrium adorned with 63 hand-crafted, stained glass butterflies. Wander into the butterfly wing where the beautiful tropical creatures thrive year-round under the light from 3 metal framed skylights. The butterfly wing has a temperature of 78-82 degrees and houses 300 tropical plant species brought in from Florida including an actual cocoa bean tree.
Don Papson, the Executive Director of the M.S. Hershey Foundation says, “We’re very excited about being able to add this year-round facility, especially for the children and families that want to learn more about plants, horticulture, and now butterflies. We’ll have one of only 25 year-round butterfly homes in the United States.
In conjunction with LSC Design (Architects) and Reynolds Construction, Crystal Structures is very proud to be a part of this amazing project. Learn more about our skylight systems here.
CSI Code 08 63 00
To get a quote on your glass atrium or skylight project, please complete this form:
Our project #24757