Jewel Box (St. Louis)
The Jewel Box or the St. Louis Floral Conservatory or City of St. Louis Floral Display House is a greenhouse in Forest Park, St. Louis, Missouri. It now serves as a public museum of Horticulture and is entered in the National Register of Historic Places ( NRHP).
The greenhouse was designed by architect William CE Becker and built in 1936 by Robert Paul Construction Company. It consists of five graduated attached wooden roofs with clerestory instead of a normal glass roof to prevent damage through regular in the area hailstorms.
History
In 1913, Nelson Cunliff Commissioner of Parks and Recreation for St. Louis City. Because of the high exposure to smoke and chimney soot within the city he looked for plants that were resistant enough for these conditions. He called later, John Moritz, who was in charge of the greenhouses of the city to create a flagship greenhouse to showcase the various plants that could withstand these conditions. According to tradition, anyone compared the presentation with a jewel box, "like a jewel box ", from where derives the name. When in 1933 Bernard F. Dickmann the 34th mayor of St. Louis was, he decided to build a new greenhouse. For the construction of 125,000 U.S. dollars were released ( in today's prices, about 2.336 million U.S. dollars) and William CE Becker, the former municipal chief engineer for bridges and buildings was instructed to plan the greenhouse. Construction began on 12 December 1935 and the building of its determination was handed over on 14 November 1936.
The renovation of the building, which cost about 3.5 million U.S. dollars, was completed in 2002.
Construction
The Jewel Box consists of 1550 m² flat glass, which are fitted in over 4000 frames and are supported by a structure of wood and wrought iron. Most panes of glass sitting in a copper frame with verdigris patina. The supporting structure rests on eight rigid arches. Bracing between the arches provide stability. The ceiling is made of wooden planks. The entrance is a brick vestibule of limestone. Inside the greenhouse located at the southern end of a balcony, the floor is made of concrete. At the entrance, a reflecting pool was created.