As part of Longwood Reimagined, a $250 million multi-year project, Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square is currently preparing to open a group of superb new buildings in November, writes Inga Saffron for The Philadelphia Inquirer. 

These new structures are the culmination of an ongoing effort to modernize the popular public garden. 

The project included the expansion of the gardens’ core attractions, relocation of parking lots and greenhouses, and the addition of a new restaurant in the foundations of the original conservatory. The changes will provide a dramatically improved view from the attraction’s famous fountain garden. 

Longwood also now features modern architecture, including the new Weiss/Manfredi’s conservatory for Mediterranean plants. The stunning structure, now called the West Conservatory, appears to rise up like a crystal mountain range when viewed from the fountain area.

It is the gardens’ second large conservatory and is located at the end of a row of stone-and-glass garden buildings that Pierre du Pont started developing in the 1920s. 

The structure has also been embedded with the latest green technology, such as an underground geothermal system that heats and cools the building passively. 

Read more about the Longwood Reimagined project opening next month in The Philadelphia Inquirer. 

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