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ESTABLISHED IN 1910, the Mount Royal College Conservatory has provided instruction to people of all ages and levels of development over much of the past century. The Conservatory is committed to providing quality instruction that sets the standard for similar programs throughout Canada. To this end it has built an outstanding group of instructors, established an extensive visiting artist program, and developed an international presence. A conservatory is a school dedicated to teaching the art of music including playing of musical instruments, musical composition, musicianship and music theory. A conservatory is also another name for a large greenhouse where plants are cultivated. Conservatory: taking a classic one step further - Food Trends in Fine Dining. The Conservatory at the Peabody Court hotel in Baltimore burst upon the scene four years ago and soon took its place among the finest hotel restaurants in the country. Under the watchful eye of owner Morton Sarubin, a succession of chefs has earned the Conservatory a reputation for serving the finest of classical cuisine. Now a new chef is gently guiding the restaurant in a new direction. Georgian Conservatories: Georgian architecture was the style of the 18th century, especially from the reign of King George I who ascended the throne in 1711, into the reign of King George IV. Design and architecture of the Georgian period naturally flowed from British styling for many decades in advance of the period. However, although Georgian design does maintain a continuation of established British technique, other stylings merged to form the Georgian school. Central Park has been in the works for 150 years. How did 843 acres of swampy, muddy terrain become transformed into one of the world's premier public spaces? Over the past twenty years, the history of Central Park has been greatly affected by the history of the Central Park Conservancy, the private, not-for-profit organization that manages Central Park under a contract with the City of New York/Department of Parks and Recreation. Look for Conservancy History to learn of the myriad improvements made to the Park through the contributions and hard work of private citizens, corporations, and foundations. On September 20, the historic Victorian glass house in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park was finally reopened to the public after an eight-year, $25 million restoration. Celebrate the occasion at an extravaganza featuring live performances, horticultural demonstrations, and kids' activities. Inside the 12,000-square-foot conservatory, visitors can view 1,500 species of rare and unusual tropical plants from more than 50 countries; the plants are displayed in six different climate chambers. Of particular interest is the Plant Explorers Exhibit (in the Lowland Tropics dome), which tells the stories and displays the gear of plant explorers past and present. "Needless to say, this grand fete was made fun of--and so we see in 'Gudgeon fishing a la Conservatory,' the meandering stream down the centre of the Regent's table is caricatured, and taken liberties with his subject--the Prince, for instance, sat on a plain the fair ladies are provided with rods and lines. The artist has mahogany chair, and the 'stream' was banked up with moss and flowers...'" Existing watercolors of the conservatory by Charles Wild (1781-1835), who painted many views of Carlton House, do not show any plants placed to take advantage of the overhead light provided by the glass and iron fan vaulting. These watercolours were published by Rudolph Ackermann in his Repositories of the Arts, beginning in October 1819. The watercolors of Carlton House and other royal residences (Windsor Castle, Hampton Court, St. James's Palace, Kensington Palace, Buckingham House and Frogmore House) were re-issued in 1984 by The Vendome Press, ISBN 0-86565-048-9. In Regency Design, however, Steven Parissien shows a view of the Prince Regent's conservatory with extensive planting along the sides p. 218; also in Morley, p. 787). He also notes that the structure leaked badly and quotes Nash in 1822, "the glazed vaulting was 'worse than useless as a roof' and recommended replacing it with plaster." Leaks or no leaks, Prinny's conservatory was, as he wished, a trend-setter. A much more modest conservatory was built by the renowned regency architect Sir John Soane at his country home Pitshanger Manor, in Ealing, a suburb of London. Mavis Batey writes, "The breakfast room opened on to a conservatory, which ran the length of the building, with sash windows to the floor, partly of coloured glass. Soane described it as 'enriched with antique cinerary urns, sepulchral vases, statues...vines and odiferous plants; the whole producing a succession of beautiful effects, particularly when seen by moonlight, or when illuminated and the lawn enriched with company enjoying the delights of cheerful society.'" Despite the difference in scale, it is clear that the conservatories at Carlton House and Pitshanger Manor shared a common element: they were used for entertainment and socializing. Greenhouses have ancient sources. Not long ago, the Garfield Park Conservatory (Ill.) seemed beyond salvaging--it was old, needed refurbishing and had few patrons. Enter the guys with white hats. First, the Chicago Park District launched an $8 million capital improvement campaign. Then a task force of 80 community groups convened and developed the Garfield Park Conservatory Alliance, a nonprofit organization dedicated to developing and funding programs, visitor service and community relations at the conservatory. The alliance received its funding from the Lila Wallace-Reader's Digest Fund, which seeks to rejuvenate urban parks through creative partnerships. The Oak Park Conservatory was started as a community effort ····in 1914 with plants from around the world, brought back by residents. (Customs inspections were different then!) Today, it has 8,000 square feet of growing areas, making it the third largest conservatory in the Chicago area! More than 16,000 people visit the Conservatory each year, and the number of educational programs continues to grow. It is often used as a meeting place for Chicago area plant enthusiasts, including the begonia, gesneriad, and cactus and succulent societies. The Conservatory offers many special exhibitions and programs.
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