National Register of Historic Places

Wright Park and Seymour Conservatory

Tacoma, Pierce County, Washington
Listed
October 7, 1976
Type
District
Period
Listed
Ref No.
76001904

About this property

Wright Park is a 27-acre (11 ha) arboretum and public park located in Tacoma, Washington, that is managed by Metro Parks Tacoma. The park was designed by Bavarian landscape architect Edward Otto Schwagerl. The park was named in honor of Charles Barstow Wright, who had donated the land for the project. The arboretum contains over 700 mature trees, representing about 100 native and exotic species. Several artworks are installed in the park, including a bust of Henrik Ibsen, the Greek maidens nicknamed "Annie" and "Fannie", Fisherman's Daughter, Trilogy, and a pair of lions. The W. W. Seymour Botanical Conservatory is a Victorian-style conservatory located in Wright Park. Built in 1907, it was named in honor of donor William W. Seymour. Designed by Isaac J. Knapp, its wings and twelve-sided central dome contain some 3,500 panes of glass. Six sculptures created by former conservator Clarence Deming rest among the plants and reflect African, Māori, and Aztec traditions. The conservatory contains more than 550 plant species in its permanent collection, including agapanthus, azaleas, bromeliads, cacti, clivias, cymbidium, epiphyllum, ferns, figs, more than 200 orchids, palms, and rhododendrons. It also contains a rotating exhibit of floral displays that generally features between 300–500 blooming plants at any given time. The conservatory was featured in several scenes in the 1992 film The Hand that Rocks the Cradle, starring Annabella Sciorra and Rebecca De Mornay and directed by Curtis Hanson. List of Registered Historic Places in Pierce County, Washington McGinnis, Melissa; Beard-Simpkins, Doreen (2007). Tacoma's Parks. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7385-4896-8. W.W. Seymour Botanical Conservatory - official site

Location

Tacoma, Pierce County, Washington
47.26071, -122.44877

Categories

COMMUNITY PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENTLANDSCAPE ARCHITECTUREARCHITECTURESOCIAL HISTORY
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Questions about this property

When was Wright Park and Seymour Conservatory listed on the National Register?

Wright Park and Seymour Conservatory was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 7, 1976.

What type of historic resource is Wright Park and Seymour Conservatory?

Wright Park and Seymour Conservatory is classified as a district in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Wright Park and Seymour Conservatory?

The period of significance for Wright Park and Seymour Conservatory is recorded as the listed era.

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