Weiss/Manfredi to Lead Major Redesign Projects at the New York Botanical Garden
View of the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory at the New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx. This historic greenhouse complex is not part of the planned reimagining.
Weiss/Manfredi has been selected to lead a planned redesign of the New York Botanical Garden (NYBG)’s Museum Complex and Mosholu Entrance & Welcome Center. As one of NYBG’s most utilized areas, the reimagined spaces will provide a more seamless and cohesive experience for visitors to the National Historic Landmark–designated botanical garden in the Bronx.
In a statement, firm cofounders Marion Weiss and Michael Manfredi described their vision as an effort to “reimagine the Garden as both a vibrant community hub and a world-class museum—where nature and architecture converge to connect with its history, welcome the Bronx community and beyond, and celebrate the beauty of this extraordinary institution."
Transforming the Mosholu Entrance is especially critical in orienting the nearly half-million visitors that arrive through the entrance annually. (NYBG as a whole welcomes 1 million annual guests.) The Museum Complex, which houses the LuEsther T. Mertz Library and the William and Lynda Steere Herbarium, will also be revitalized to better display their vast collections of plant literature, art, and scientific resources. Plans include new event and exhibition spaces, and a new learning center that will house NYBG’s popular educational programs.
Weiss/Manfredi is no stranger to executing major projects on the grounds of beloved public botanical and horticultural display gardens. In 2012, the firm completed a landscape-integrated visitor center at another historic New York City institution where plants serve as the main attraction: the Olmsted Brothers–designed Brooklyn Botanic Garden, which opened 20 years after NYBG in 1911. More recently, the firm, in collaboration with Reed Hilderbrand, oversaw an expansive reimagining, including the construction of a major new conservatory, at Longwood Gardens outside of Philadelphia.
In a statement, NYBG president Jennifer Bernstein noted how the firm’s work “reflects a deep respect for the natural environment, which aligns beautifully with the garden’s mission.”
A project timeline has not been made public by NYBG.
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