[United States Government Manual]
[May 31, 1996]
[Pages 44-45]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]


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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,

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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.