Celebrate the Grand Opening of the Jack C. Taylor Visitor Center at the Missouri Botanical Garden This Weekend
The new Jack C. Taylor Visitor Center at the Missouri Botanical Garden offers an inviting indoor-outdoor experience to guests.
In St. Louis, the Missouri Botanical Garden has long been a place of beauty, serenity and discovery, as well as an institution of scientific research and education. With the opening of the Jack C. Taylor Visitor Center and its surrounding landscapes, garden-goers will become further immersed in the Garden’s vision.
The visitor center presents an inviting indoor-outdoor experience, which exemplifies the Garden’s global plant collections and conservation work. New gardens on the north and south sides of the visitor center – which will be planted in fall 2022 and spring 2023 – will feature 30,500 plants, representing a total of 332 species. Approximately one-third of the plants are rare or endangered; 153 species will be brand-new to the Garden and 80 species will be native to Missouri.
The building itself suggests an opening in the forest. “You’ll be surrounded by gardens when you enter and exit the Jack C. Taylor Visitor Center,” says Catherine Martin, public information officer of the Missouri Botanical Garden. “The building represents the clearing in the woods, where the sunlight comes through the trees.”
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Other biophilic design elements that link the building’s interior with its natural surroundings include brass leaves inlaid in the floor; 10-foot glass panels filled with dried plant specimens from the Garden, such as water lilies and grape leaves; a large bench and a separate table made from an oak tree that once grew on the property; and a massive glass skylight dubbed “The Lantern,” which features a metal scrim that filters light to mimic the lighting of the on-site Cherbonnier English Woodland Garden.
Sassafras is another new addition to the visitor center. Part-café, part-restaurant, it will offer everything from coffee and pastries to chicken shawarma, chorizo burritos and Ozark Forest mushroom and leek frittatas, plus plenty of patio seating.
A bite here will give you all the energy you need to meander through the Emerson Conservatory, a glass greenhouse with swirling ceiling fans that will house a permanent collection of Mediterranean plants. The conservatory will also host the Garden’s two annual floral shows: the poinsettia show in conjunction with Garden Glow and the ever popular orchid show. The final piece of the Jack C. Taylor Visitor Center is the Lelia J. and David N. Farr Auditorium, where guests can watch a video about the Garden’s history and its conservation work around the world.
Grand Opening Celebration
The grand opening of the Jack C. Taylor Visitor Center is Sat., Aug. 27 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sun., Aug. 28 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Opening weekend includes performances by the Red and Black Brass Band, Metro Theater Company, The Bach Society of St. Louis, Bob Kramer’s Marionnettes, STL Rhythm Collaborative’s Mostly TAP and Thomas and Tricia Jöstlein, along with storytelling sessions, sustainability showcases and public walking tours. Admission is free, and advanced tickets aren’t required.
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