[United States Government Manual]
[June 01, 2006]
[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, 202-225-6670

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

Phone, 202-226-4780
Director (Architect of the Capitol)               Alan M. Hantman
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 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 exhibit and plant 
display areas. A new facility, the National Garden, is currently under 
construction on a 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

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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.
    In June 1842, the U.S. Exploring Expedition under the command of 
Captain Charles Wilkes returned from its 4-year voyage with a wealth of 
information, artifacts, pressed-plant specimens, and living plants from 
around the world. The living plants were temporarily placed on exhibit 
on a lot behind the old Patent Office under the care of William D. 
Brackenridge, the Expedition's botanist. By November 1842, the plants 
were moved into a greenhouse built there with funds appropriated by 
Congress. Subsequently, the greenhouse was expanded with two additions 
and a small growing area to care for the burgeoning collection. In 1843, 
stewardship of the collection was placed under the direction and control 
of the Joint Committee on the Library, which had also assumed 
responsibility for publication of the results of the Expedition. 
Expansion of the Patent Office in 1849 necessitated finding a new 
location for the botanical collections.
    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 National Mall at the west end of 
the Capitol Grounds, practically the same site the Garden occupied 
during the period it functioned under the Columbian 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 Government had assumed responsibility for the 
maintenance and stewardship of the plant collection in 1842, the two 
functions were divided between the Commissioner of Public Buildings and 
the Joint Committee on the Library, respectively. In 1856, in 
recognition of their increasing stature, the collections and their 
associated operations and facilities were officially named the United 
States Botanic Garden, and the Joint Committee on the Library assumed 
jurisdiction over both its direction and maintenance (11 Stat. 104). An 
annual appropriation has been provided by Congress since 1856.
    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, [email protected].

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