[DOCID:211657tx_xxx-6]
From the Government Manual Online via GPO Access
[wais.access.gpo.gov]
[Page 45-47]
UNITED STATES BOTANIC GARDEN
Office of Executive Director, 245 First Street SW., Washington, DC 20024
Phone, 202-225-6670. Internet, www.usbg.gov.
Conservatory, 100 Maryland Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20001
Phone, 202-226-8333.
Production Facility, 4700 Shepherd Parkway SW., Washington, DC 20032
Phone, 202-226-4780
Director (Architect of the Capitol) Stephen T. Ayers,
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, the
new National Garden, 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.
The National Garden opened on October 1, 2006. Located on three
acres adjacent to the west side of the
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Conservatory, the National Garden comprises a First Ladies Water Garden,
a Butterfly Garden, a Rose Garden celebrating our national flower, a
Lawn Terrace, a Regional Garden of native Mid-Atlantic plants, and an
amphitheater where visitors may relax and enjoy the stunning views of
the U.S. Capitol.
Outdoor plantings are also 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 U.S. Botanic 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 has supervision over
the U.S. Botanic Garden through the Architect of the Capitol, who has
held the title of Director since 1934.
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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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