Completing the Rose and Palm House will realize every element of the Van Wickle vision for the property as it stood in the early 1930s.”

Executive Director Karen Binder

Blithewold’s owner and visionary gardener Bessie Van Wickle McKee had the Lord and Burnham greenhouse complex constructed in 1901 as a place to nurture her growing collection of botanical specimens. The complex included two vineries (structures to house grape vines), a work room, a propagating house, a plant house, a rose house, and a palm house. The palm house in particular, a soaring curved glass structure, was a stunning addition to the estate.

However, the Van Wickle-McKee family was not immune to the financial struggles of the 1930’s, and facing a financial crunch and staffing shortages, they needed to divest.

“First they sold off the Columban Fathers property, then they dismantled the palm house, the playhouse and the rose house,” said Horticultural Director Dan Christina. “So all three buildings on this side were taken down at one point.” The salvaged parts of the structures were sold. “The complex was only whole for about 30 years.”

Nearly a century later, these architectural gems are set to return to the “Horticultural Gem of the Northeast.”

The structures will be built with aluminum and steel frames, and red brick knee walls to match existing buildings. The foundations will be poured concrete to match the historic configuration, which is still extant.

“Reconstructing these two additional greenhouses has been a long-held dream for many of us for over fifteen years,” said Executive Director Karen Binder.

“It’s an exceptionally ambitious project,” said Christina. “No palm house has been built in the United States like this for 40-plus years.”

Blithewold is very close to their fundraising goal, however the volatility in world markets has caused the cost of this project to escalate a lot in the last year or so.

“The steel substructure and the aluminum structures are some of the largest costs and those markets oscillate wildly,” said Christina. Prices that were quoted in 2024 no longer apply. Construction and manufacture of the various components is already in progress; the site work that was originally slated to begin in April has been pushed back to June, with the foundation to be laid in August; framing and final construction in October; and hopefully enclosed by winter.

Stephen Wacha of Heritage Greenhouse Builders, Inc. is the builder, and he has already reconstructed other elements of the complex in years past. “He has really looked at this structure's rehabilitation and restoration as the capstone of his career,” said Christina. “His voice and his buy-in to the project has really helped push to get this work done. All the different elements are so unique — greenhouses are unique in the their general design as a whole. A palm house is even more unique because of its curvilinear framing and curved glass.

“And then on top of that, the type of glass that we need is even more uncommon because it's got to be laminated, tempered, and coated in a way so that we don't need to put additional materials on the building. We don't need to do additional shading. So it's all custom.”

At 35 feet in height, that’s a lot of glass.

The residents return

Christina and gardens manager Betsy Ekholm are excited to bring palms back to the palm house, as well as other large plant material that is both exotic and more temperate, and container specimens to expand Blithewold’s collection.

They are especially excited to have a new home for their Night Blooming Cereus, Blithewold’s signature plant, a large flower with big blooms that only come out at night.

More space means not only more specimens, but also more room to let the existing collection breathe, and reach something closer to their ultimate size.

“It's just nice to to bring us back to our past,” said Ekholm. “This is what the family envisioned and we're going to have it back again, people will come and enjoy it and it's a really beautiful thing.”

From vision to reality

Rebuilding these structures restores a missing chapter in Blithewold’s history, and order to close the remaining funding gap, Blithewold’s Gala, Petals & Palms, will be held September 18. The evening will include a delicious meal catered by Blackstone Caterers, a live auction, and dancing to the sounds of Decades by DeZyne – a 12-piece show band renowned across New England who have been performing for more than twenty-five years. For more information, visit Blithewold.org.

“I would like to acknowledge Blithewold board members Lisa Sienkewicz and Kim Sutton for their dedication in moving this project from a vision to a reality,” said Binder. “Sadly, Kim Sutton passed away suddenly this fall. In recognition of her contributions, the Board of Directors voted on May 18 to name the Rose and Palm House in her honor.

“I am also incredibly grateful to all our donors for their generosity, which allowed our fundraising to reach $1.6 million in less than twelve months.

“Completing the Rose and Palm House will realize every element of the Van Wickle vision for the property as it stood in the early 1930s. To me, that is especially rewarding and meaningful."