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The Anna Scripps Whitcomb Conservatory (commonly and locally known as the Belle Isle Conservatory) is a greenhouse and a botanical garden located on Belle Isle, a 982-acre island park nestled in the Detroit River between Detroit and the Canada–United States border. The park itself consists of 13 acres of preserved land for the conservatory and its botanical garden. The conservatory, along with the neighboring Belle Isle Aquarium, was designed by renowned architect Albert Kahn and built in 1904, and was remodeled and renovated several times years after. In 1953 the structure was named in honor of Anna Scripps Whitcomb, who left her grand collection of 600 orchids to Detroit, and made several generous donations afterwards. The building of the Belle Isle Conservatory itself possesses a strikingly impressive domed center reaching 85 feet in height, which houses the exotic palm trees and plant life from South America to the jungles of Southeast Asia. The conservatory is opened to the public free of charge, and operates from Wednesday through Sunday between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. ==History and architecture== The Anna Scripps Whitcomb Conservatory opened in the center of the island on August 18, 1904. It covers 13 acres, has a lily pond on its north side and has perennial gardens on the west. The gardens home the Levi L. Barbour Memorial Fountain. For almost 49 years it was known as the conservatory until 1953, when it was renamed the Anna Scripps Whitcomb Conservancy. In April 1953, Anna Scripps Whitcomb, who was daughter of The Detroit News founder James E. Scripps, gave her 600 orchids collection to the conservatory. Many of these exotic orchids had been saved from Britain throughout World War II.〔 The conservatory became one of the largest governments owned orchid collections in the United States because of her contribution. When it was first built the 85 feet tall dome was wooden, until the early 1950s when the wooden frame was replaced by one made of iron and aluminum. It is currently the oldest continually running conservatory in the United States. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Belle Isle Conservatory」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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