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Pennsylvania Landmark Longwood Gardens Opens Dazzling New Conservatory
The striking new Weiss/Manfredi structure is unveiled as part of a $250 million expansion that’s being touted as a “a bold leap into the future”
Founded in 1906 by Pierre S. du Pont, the Longwood Gardens, an hour’s drive west of Philadelphia, lures visitors from across the globe to its conservatories, winding meadows, and woodlands. Now a $250 million expansion is elevating the sprawling 1,100-acre site to a spectacular new level.
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Aerial view of Longwood Reimagined. Photo: Albert Vecerka/Esto
Called Longwood Reimagined: A New Garden Experience, the project inaugurates a dazzling 32,000-square-foot conservatory designed by Weiss/Manfredi. The glass structure contains a Mediterranean garden designed by Reed Hilderbrand Landscape Architecture, complete with planted islands, canals, and walkways. “It is a bold leap into the future,” says Paul Redman, president and CEO of Longwood Gardens. “This project honors our legacy by embracing innovations and sustainability practices that define 21st-century garden artistry.”

Longwood Gardens’ new West Conservatory building, designed by Weiss/Manfredi, is home to a Mediterranean-inspired garden, designed by Reed Hilderbrand. Photo: Albert Vecerka/Esto

The Mediterranean-inspired garden, designed by Reed Hilderbrand, inside the new Weiss/Manfredi-designed West Conservatory Building at Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania. Photo: Sahar Coston-Hardy/Esto

The Mediterranean-inspired garden, designed by Reed Hilderbrand, inside the new Weiss/Manfredi-designed West Conservatory Building at Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania. Photo: Sahar Coston-Hardy/Esto

The Mediterranean-inspired garden, designed by Reed Hilderbrand, inside the new Weiss/Manfredi-designed West Conservatory Building at Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania. Photo: Sahar Coston-Hardy/Esto

Interior view of 1906 Restaurant, designed by Weiss/Manfredi, at Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania. Photo: Albert Vecerka/Esto

View of the Bonsai Courtyard, near Longwood Gardens’ new West Conservatory building. Photo: Sahar Coston-Hardy/Esto

View of the new conservatory housing the Cascade Garden, designed by Roberto Burle Marx in 1992. Part of Longwood Reimagined, led by Weiss/Manfredi in collaboration with Reed Hilderbrand. Photo: Holden Barnes
A version of this article first appeared in print in our 2024 Winter Issue in the section The Artful Life. Subscribe to the magazine.