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+ | ======Durfee Conservatory====== | ||
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+ | **Constructed**: | ||
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+ | **Partially demolished**: | ||
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+ | **Architects**: | ||
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+ | The original Durfee Conservatory was one of the most striking structures in the landscape of the early college campus. | ||
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+ | By 1954, however, the conservatory had aged beyond repair and the original firm, Lord & Burnham, was called in to construct the greenhouse that stands today. | ||
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+ | ===== Timeline ===== | ||
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+ | 1862 — Land Grant Act signed by President Abraham Lincoln | ||
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+ | 1864 — Original 383 acres in Amherst, Massachusetts, | ||
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+ | 1864 — Purchase of land for college site, including 73 acres that formed the Durfee holdings | ||
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+ | 1867 — Durfee Plant House constructed | ||
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+ | 1875 — Durfee experiment to measure surface pressure of a chili squash received world-wide attention | ||
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+ | 1878 — First sale catalog of plants issued by Durfee | ||
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+ | 1883 — Original Durfee buildings seriously damaged by fire | ||
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+ | 1890 — Durfee received donated Japanese maples from Mount Fuji | ||
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+ | 1892 — Renovations to conservatory complete | ||
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+ | 1893 — One-ton century plant (Agave Americana varigata) blossomed | ||
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+ | 1934 — Part of Harvard plant collection donated to Durfee | ||
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+ | 1938 — Oak tree downed in hurricane; one entire house destroyed, followed by a steady decline and general state of disrepair | ||
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+ | 1954 — New conservatory building constructed | ||
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+ | 1978 — All-American Display Garden designation assigned | ||
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+ | 1980 — Horticultural therapy program instituted | ||
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+ | 1992 — History of Durfee Conservatory published for 125th anniversary | ||
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+ | 1993 — Phase I of Durfee Gardens Project constructed | ||
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+ | 2006 — Durfee Conservatory transferred to UMass Extension | ||
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+ | 2007 — Renovations to upgrade conservatory begun | ||
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+ | 2013 — UMass celebrates 150th year anniversary | ||
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+ | 2014 — UMass Cooperative Extension celebrates 100th year anniversary | ||
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+ | ===== 1867 Construction ===== | ||
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+ | Designed by T.A. Lord of Syracuse, the original structure was an elegant group of glass buildings with curvilinear roofs trimmed with wrought iron filigree. It was named after its benefactor and college trustee, Dr. Nathan Durfee, who gave $10,000 for the construction costs, which included the heating and water system. Leonard M. Hills and Henry F. Hills of Amherst also donated $10,000 to the botanic gardens in 1867. The five independent sections in the conservatory each had separate temperature and moisture levels controlled by a resident caretaker. The caretaker' | ||
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+ | The ingenious watering and heating system was devised specially for the greenhouses. A reservoir was constructed on the north hill behind Durfee. This provided an abundant source of soft water, which was heated and aerated in a holding tank over the potting room and boilers. From the tank the hot water was conducted in iron pipes to heat the conservatory. It flowed with sufficient force to feed a fountain in the Victorian House and a large exterior fountain, and to shower all the glasshouse plants at periodic intervals. This was a significant engineering feat and the area needing to be serviced was extensive. More than 10,000 square feet, Durfee was the first great glasshouse for hundreds of miles and predated Smith College' | ||
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+ | "We introduce ourselves | ||
+ | to Planets and to flowers." | ||
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+ | The Durfee holdings, encompassing 73 acres, were the true heart and soul of the original Aggie campus. Manicured walkways edged the open fields. Coldframes, flower plots, gardens, and fields were cultivated with great care and attention, creating an impressive landscape of beauty and utility. | ||
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+ | ===== 1883 Winter Fire ===== | ||
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+ | One winter night in 1883, a terrible fire shattered the conservatory' | ||
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+ | "About 8 o' | ||
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+ | The frantic efforts of students were instrumental in saving many of the specimen plants housed in the badly damaged structure. Throughout the summer and fall of the next year, repairs were made and the bulk of the original collection remained intact. Over the course of the next eight years, renovations and new structures were added. By 1892 the Durfee Plant Houses were almost completely rebuilt, with two entirely new propagating houses. These changes gave the conservatory a new ornamental look. | ||
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+ | The structure still contained the remains of one of the original sills in the first octagon, built in 1867. Upright posts replaced the old curved roof and the glass surface area was increased by over 2,000 square feet. Larger glass panels were used, and sash bars made of cypress installed. The whole building was heated by two new Furman hot water heaters. | ||
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+ | New storage, tool, and work rooms allowed for areas to be kept to their legitimate purposes. Improved efficiency and less clutter near the boiler were no doubt a consideration in this new scheme of operations. The catastrophic fire of 1883 would not be soon forgotten-or repeated. | ||
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+ | ===== 1893 Bloom of the Century Plant ===== | ||
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+ | One of the most fascinating structural additions to the new Durfee was the celebrated glass tower. Constructed to accommodate the flower stalk of a venerable specimen of Agave americana, the structure rose from the center of Durfee like a lighthouse keeping watch over a sea of glass and plants. The plant it admirably displayed had an interesting lineage and its Victorian caretakers took great pains to do it justice. Originally propagated in 1825 at the old Ames homestead in Chicopee, Mass., it was given to Mrs. Edward Hitchcock about 1838 by Mrs. James J. Ames. Eventually it made its way as a gift to the college into the Durfee palm house in 1867. Here it grew for the next 26 years until just before its 68th birthday. | ||
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+ | Then to the delight of many, it began to show signs of flowering, its reputation of a 100-year lapse between blossoms not withstanding. The plant was moved and a tower rose above the greenhouse in anticipation. The interest this event aroused was considerable. The observation tower was provided with a staircase going up and around the flower stalk and had several viewing platforms. It may have been the only greenhouse ever constructed for a single flower stalk. The curious came in droves. | ||
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+ | The plant was weighed — nearly 2,000 pounds — had its more than 3,000 buds counted, and was viewed by countless visitors. Perhaps the thought of experiencing the 'very intoxicating but offensive smelling juice' rendered from the cutting out of the central bud was too exciting for the tourists of the day to miss. The century plant had its glorious day and its own glass high tower courtesy of an appreciative college. In 1893 M. A. C. would also win a Grand Prize at the St. Louis World' | ||
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+ | At this point the rebuild of the greenhouses destroyed in the 1883 fire were complete. The Jan. 1895 annual report describes the [[https:// | ||
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+ | ===== 1954 New Building ===== | ||
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+ | By early 1954, the Durfee Conservatory structure was beyond disrepair. Glass panes fell randomly and unexpectedly, | ||
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+ | The appropriation of funds to build a new, improved structure at the same location had wisely been made well in advance of the removal of the old plant houses. The Floriculture Department, under the direction of Professor Clark L. Thayer '13, selected a new structure of modern design that would provide ideal growing conditions and allow for continuity of the historical sections of the old Durfee. The previous builder of campus greenhouses, | ||
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+ | Incorporating all the most recent innovations in greenhouse technology, the blue-ribbon structure had automatic temperature controls and vents. The greenhouses were erected only a few feet from the site of the old houses at a cost of $69,684. The aluminum alloy frame rose securely from a poured concrete foundation. Bolted and braced, solid and true, this was a structure built to last. A single curved glass pane along the eaves and double door entrances in the central house was the only architectural touch from the past. The past curved roof lines and arches were replaced by the straight slope of an even span roof. | ||
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+ | Utilitarian features stressed function and strength. Metal pipes and transite were used exclusively for bench construction. Walkways were poured concrete and walls separating the houses were made of glass panes. Light and visibility were maximized. The only wood used was redwood in the doors linking the houses throughout the structure. The five sections—really, | ||
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+ | The west end section was a cool temperate house to display camellias, gardenias, and flowering shrubs. The west-center section housed war tropicals: orchids, anthuriums, and flowering vines. The large central section was the equivalent of the great octagon house of an earlier day. Its 30-foot ceiling could accommodate large palms and tropical trees. A 40-foot-long shallow pool with showering fountain was edged with plants and a perimeter walkway. This impressive jungle room was the heart of the new Durfee. | ||
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+ | Adjoining this area towards the east wing were two more houses: one for small tropical potted plants such as begonias and geraniums, the other for cacti and succulents. A small propagating bench, potting area, and storage closet were also contained within the last cacti section. Overall, it was a clean, efficient structure designed for low maintenance. | ||
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+ | ===== Naming of the building ===== | ||
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+ | The structure was named after Dr. Nathan Durfee, trustee of Massachusetts Agricultural College, and donor to the original conservatory. | ||
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+ | ---- | ||
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+ | ==== Sources ==== | ||
+ | * [[https:// | ||
+ | * Tristan, John. //A History of the Durfee Conservatory 1867-1992//, | ||
+ | * //Three Architectural Tours: Selected Buildings on the Campus of the University of Massachusetts Amherst// (Amherst, 2000) | ||
+ | * For additional information, | ||
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