[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 23]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 32182-32183]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




 IN CELEBRATION OF THE RE-OPENING OF THE SAN FRANCISCO CONSERVATORY OF 
                                FLOWERS

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. NANCY PELOSI

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Monday, December 8, 2003

  Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, I was very pleased to be present at the 
grand re-opening of the San Francisco Conservatory of Flowers. The 
Conservatory is considered by many to be the jewel of Golden Gate Park 
and the City of San Francisco. It is a monument to biodiversity, 
renewal, and beauty.
  Congratulations to all those who joined forces in the fight to 
restore our Conservatory: John Murray, President of San Francisco 
Recreation & Parks Commission; Scott Medbury, Director of the 
Conservatory; Rebecca Green, President of Friends of Recreation & 
Parks; and Elizabeth Goldstein, General Manager of Recreation & Parks. 
Thank you for your vision and your leadership. The people of San 
Francisco, future generations of San Franciscans and visitors alike, 
owe you a great debt of gratitude.
  I would like to take this opportunity to commend Richard Goldman, one 
of San Francisco's most generous citizens. His support of our City and 
our environment is immeasurable. His tremendous contribution to the 
Conservatory in honor of his late wife, Rhoda, led the way. Many other 
extremely generous families followed; the Madeleine Haas Russell family 
and the Fisher, Friend and Taube families. These families have 
graciously supported so many of San Francisco's treasures for decades.
  This grand undertaking could never have been realized without the 
leadership of our Mayor, Willie Brown. This is yet another project 
marked by excellence, effectiveness, and success. It is fitting that 
this extensive project was completed under his watchful eye. Mayor 
Brown raised the visibility of the project to a national level and used 
his unique abilities to develop private public partnerships.
  An army of volunteers worked non-stop since the devastating windstorm 
of 1995 to make this day happen. The 124 year old conservatory was 
thought to have sustained irreparable damage. Of the $25 million needed 
for this massive rehabilitation, $15 million came

[[Page 32183]]

from individual donations. The prospect of the Conservatory's imminent 
destruction was unthinkable to the people of San Francisco. They had 
the wisdom to know that its beauty could never be rivaled or 
replicated. They were stubborn and unrelenting in their demand that we 
preserve this architectural masterpiece. Because of their labor of 
love, we once again can view the exquisite beauty outside and 
experience the lush splendor within. Their talent, commitment and 
dedication to this magnificent project honors our patron saint, St. 
Francis, honors nature, and honors God's creation.
  Today we can once more enjoy the stunning high altitude orchids, the 
giant cycads, and the rest of the 1,500 species of plants from over 50 
countries. In addition to the tropical paradise that we all remember, 
there are new displays to inspire visitors to appreciate and conserve 
our planet's extraordinary biodiversity.
  San Francisco is proud to be the home of the oldest glass and wood 
conservatory in the United States. It is a place of exquisite and 
intoxicating beauty. It is a spiritual place. We are all very fortunate 
to be able to enjoy its magic again.

                          ____________________