[United States Government Manual] [May 31, 1996] [Pages 44-45] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]________________________________________________________________________ UNITED STATES BOTANIC GARDEN Office of Executive Director, 245 First Street SW., Washington, DC 20024 Phone, 202-225-8333 Conservatory, Maryland Avenue, First to Second Streets SW., Washington, DC 20024 Phone, 202-225-6646 Production Facility, 4700 Shepherd Parkway SW., Washington, DC 20032 Phone, 202-563-2220 Director (Architect of the Capitol) William L. Ensign, Acting Executive Director Jeffrey P. Cooper-Smith ________________________________________________________________________ The United States Botanic Garden is an educational and scientific display garden. It informs visitors about the importance and irreplaceable value of plants to the well-being of humankind and to the fragile ecosystems that support all life. The Botanic Garden's indoor and outdoor displays convey information on the aesthetic, cultural, economic, therapeutic, and ecological value of plants worldwide. The Conservatory, one of the largest structures of its kind in this country, features both indoor exhibits and two outdoor courtyard gardens. Collections in this facility attract many visitors annually, including botanists, horticulturists, ecologists, students, and garden club members. The permanent collections include orchids, epiphytes, bromeliads, carnivorous plants, ferns, [[Page 45]] cycads, cacti, succulents, medicinal plants, rare and endangered plants, and plants valued as sources of food, beverages, fibers, and other industrial products. Specialty exhibits range from artwork inspired by plants to seasonal flower shows highlighting the beauty of chrysanthemums, poinsettias, spring flowers, and attractive summer terrace arrangements. Outdoor plantings are showcased in Bartholdi Park. Also located in this park is Bartholdi Fountain, created by Frederic-Auguste Bartholdi (1834-1904), sculptor of the Statue of Liberty. To the west of the Conservatory, a rose garden marks the border of a 3-acre tract that is the future site of the National Garden. The Botanic Garden offers educational facilities by making available for study to students, botanists, and floriculturists many rare and interesting botanical specimens. Every year botanical specimens are received from all over the world with requests for identification, and one of the services rendered by the Garden to the public is the identification of such specimens and the furnishing of information relating to the proper methods of growing them. The U.S. Botanic Garden was founded in 1820 under the auspices of the Columbian Institute for the Promotion of Arts and Sciences, an organization that was the outgrowth of an association known as the Metropolitan Society and that received its charter from Congress on April 20, 1818. The Garden continued under the direction of this Institute until 1837, when the Institute ceased to exist as an active organization. The Botanic Garden remained abandoned until 1842, when it became necessary for the Government to provide accommodations for the botanical collections brought to Washington, DC, from the South Seas by the U.S. Exploring Expedition of 1838-42, under the leadership of Capt. Charles Wilkes. The collections were placed temporarily on exhibition at the Patent Office upon return of the expedition in June 1842. The first greenhouse for this purpose was constructed in 1842 on a lot behind the Patent Office Building under the direction and control of the Joint Committee of Congress on the Library, from funds appropriated by Congress. The act of May 15, 1850 (9 Stat. 427), provided for the relocation of the Botanic Garden under the direction of the Joint Committee on the Library. The site selected was on The Mall at the west end of the Capitol Grounds, practically the same site the Garden occupied during the period it functioned under the Columbia Institute. This site was later enlarged, and the main area continued to serve as the principal Botanic Garden site from 1850 to 1933, when the Garden was relocated to its present site. Although the Botanic Garden began functioning as a Government-owned institution in 1842, the records indicate that it was not until 1856 that the maintenance of the Garden was specifically placed under the direction of the Joint Committee on the Library and a regular, annual appropriation was provided by Congress (11 Stat. 104). At the present time the Joint Committee exercises its supervision through the Architect of the Capitol, who has been serving as Acting Director since 1934. The Botanic Garden is open to the public from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Hours may be extended during special shows or exhibits. For further information concerning the United States Botanic Garden, contact the Office of the Architect of the Capitol, U.S. Capitol Building, Washington, DC 20515. Phone, 202-228-1793.