Renovation of Anna Scripps Whitcomb Conservatory on Belle Isle Begins

Welcome news from today's Free Press of a $10M makeover of a Detroit and Albert Kahn icon.
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Things on Belle Isle are looking a little different these days as the Anna Scripps Whitcomb Conservatory is undergoing a major renovation of its main dome structure, including glass replacement, now through 2024.

The Belle Isle Conservancy is moving into phase II from phase I repairs that were done on the lower level of the conservatory in 201718.

Phase II will focus on the steel trusses from the original 1904 construction designed by Albert Kahn, one of Detroit's most celebrated architects. After a structural assessment in 2017, it was determined that all the pieces needed to be replaced to ensure the integrity of the dome from the lower level.

Phase I funding of $2.5 million was partly capital outlay and a grant from the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation. Those repairs focused on the aged lower level that sustained water damage from leaky gutters. Phase II is budgeted for $10 million for engineering and construction, $7.5 million of that is federal ARPA [[American Rescue Plan Act) funds and the rest is donations secured by the Belle Isle Conservancy.

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Originally Posted by Lowell

Welcome news from today's Free Press of a $10M makeover of a Detroit and Albert Kahn icon.

Phase II is budgeted for $10 million for engineering and construction, $7.5 million of that is federal ARPA [[American Rescue Plan Act) funds and the rest is donations secured by the Belle Isle Conservancy.

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Thank you for the good news, Lowell!! The ASWC is one of Detroit's cultural jewels - I recall visiting there in the early 1960s and was awed at the beautiful flowers.

That place resemble the Crystal Palaces constructed for the World Fairs that had taken place around tge world in the late 1800s. It's a beautiful icon. Let's hope the findings are not siphoned to other unknown areas

That's a major undertaking but worth it. Place is so cool even in its current state

I love going there on winter days like this; if you sit in the right spot, for a moment you can be in little a tropical vacation.