    [United States Government Manual]
    [June 15, 2003]
    [Pages 45-46]
    [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, 202-226-8333. Internet, www.usbg.gov.

    Conservatory, 100 Maryland Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20024

    Phone, 202-225-8333

    Production Facility, 4700 Shepherd Parkway SW., Washington, DC 20032

    Phone, 202-563-2220
    Director (Architect of the Capitol)               Alan M. Hantman,
                                                              Acting
    Executive Director                                Holly H. Shimizu

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    The United States Botanic Garden informs visitors about the aesthetic,
    cultural, economic, therapeutic, and ecological importance of plants to
    the well-being of humankind.

    The U.S. Botanic Garden has artistic displays of plants, exhibits, and
    educational programs promoting botanical knowledge through the
    cultivation of an ordered collection of plants; fostering plant
    conservation by acting as a repository for endangered species; and
    growing plants for the beautification of the Capitol complex. Uniquely
    situated at the heart of the U.S. Government, the Garden seeks to
    promote the exchange of ideas and information relevant to its mission
    among national and international visitors and policymakers.
        The Garden's collections include orchids, epiphytes, bromeliads,
    carnivorous plants, ferns, cycads, cacti, succulents, medicinal plants,
    rare and endangered plants, and plants valued as sources of food,
    beverages, fibers, cosmetics, and industrial products.
        The U.S. Botanic Garden's facilities include the Conservatory,
    Bartholdi Park, an administration building, and an off-site Production
    facility. The Garden is currently undergoing a significant expansion and
    transformation. The Conservatory, one of the largest structures of its
    kind in this country, re-opened on December 11, 2001, after undergoing
    major renovation that required more than 4 years to complete. In
    addition to upgraded amenities for visitors, it features 12 new exhibit
    and plant display areas. Renovation of the

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    administration building and Bartholdi Park are scheduled for 2005-2006.
    A new public feature, the National Garden, is planned for the three-acre
    site just west of the Conservatory.
        Outdoor plantings are showcased in Bartholdi Park, a home landscape
    demonstration area located across from the Conservatory. Each of the
    displays is sized and scaled for suitability in an urban or suburban
    setting. The gardens display ornamental plants that perform well in this
    region arrayed in a variety of styles and themes. Also located in this
    park is Bartholdi Fountain, created by Frederic Auguste Bartholdi (1834-
    1904), sculptor of the Statue of Liberty.
        The Garden's staff is organized into horticulture, operations,
    administration, and public programs divisions. Programs for the public
    are listed in a quarterly calendar of events and also on the Garden's
    Web site. A horticultural hotline is available to answer questions from
    the public.
        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, which received its charter from Congress on April
    20, 1818. The Garden continued under the direction of the Institute
    until 1837, when the Institute ceased to exist as an active
    organization.
        The U.S. 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 temporarily placed on exhibit at
    the Patent Office upon return of the expedition in June 1842. Thus, 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
    Garden site from 1850 to 1933, when the Garden was relocated to its
    present site.
        Although the U.S. 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).
        Presently, the Joint Committee on the Library exercises its
    supervision through the Architect of the Capitol, who has held the title
    of Acting Director since 1934.

    For further information concerning the United States Botanic Garden,
    contact the Public Programs Division, 245 First Street SW., Washington,
    DC 20024. Phone, 202-225-8333. Plant Hotline, 202-226-4785. Internet,
    www.usbg.gov. E-mail, usbg@aoc.gov.

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