Reimagined Alden B. Dow-designed conservatory at Dow Gardens to reopen this summer

Beth DeVries (right) smiles as both her daughters Sarah, 2, (middle) and Jenny, 5, have butterflies resting on their shirts during the Butterflies in Bloom event at Dow Gardens, Friday, March 1, 2019.

A butterfly rests on a leaf during the Butterflies in Bloom event at Dow Gardens, Friday, March 1, 2019.

Katie Fitchett and her daughter Scarlett, 2, check out butterflies during the Butterflies in Bloom event at Dow Gardens, Friday, March 1, 2019.

A butterfly rests on a flower during the Butterflies in Bloom event at Dow Gardens, Friday, March 1, 2019.

A look inside the chrysalis case during the Butterflies in Bloom event at Dow Gardens, Friday, March 1, 2019.

Kelsey Nowell hands a butterfly to her daughter Ellie, 5, as her other daughter, Libby, 2, stands by during the Butterflies in Bloom event at Dow Gardens, Friday, March 1, 2019.

A butterfly rests on a leaf during the Butterflies in Bloom event at Dow Gardens, Friday, March 1, 2019.

Entomologist Elly Maxwell chats with another employee as butterflies fly about during the Butterflies in Bloom event at Dow Gardens, Friday, March 1, 2019.

A butterfly rests on a flower during the Butterflies in Bloom event at Dow Gardens, Friday, March 1, 2019.

Erin Vogel hands her daughter Claire, 2, a butterfly during the Butterflies in Bloom event at Dow Gardens, Friday, March 1, 2019.

Butterflies hang on a leaf during the Butterflies in Bloom event at Dow Gardens, Friday, March 1, 2019.

Visitors walk through the exhibit during the Butterflies in Bloom event at Dow Gardens, Friday, March 1, 2019.

A butterfly rests on a sponge to eat during the Butterflies in Bloom event at Dow Gardens, Friday, March 1, 2019.

Jenny DeVries, 5, smiles as a butterfly rests on her shirt during the Butterflies in Bloom event at Dow Gardens, Friday, March 1, 2019.

A look inside the chrysalis case during the Butterflies in Bloom event at Dow Gardens, Friday, March 1, 2019.

Visitors walk through the exhibit during the Butterflies in Bloom event at Dow Gardens, Friday, March 1, 2019.

Beth DeVries holds a butterfly during the Butterflies in Bloom event at Dow Gardens, Friday, March 1, 2019.

A butterfly rests on a leaf during the Butterflies in Bloom event at Dow Gardens, Friday, March 1, 2019.

Katie Fitchett takes a photograph of her daughter Scarlett, 2, as a butterfly rests on her shirt during the Butterflies in Bloom event at Dow Gardens, Friday, March 1, 2019.

A butterfly rests on a food dish during the Butterflies in Bloom event at Dow Gardens, Friday, March 1, 2019.

Jenny DeVries, 5, smiles as a butterfly rests on her shirt during the Butterflies in Bloom event at Dow Gardens, Friday, March 1, 2019.

A butterfly rests on a leaf during the Butterflies in Bloom event at Dow Gardens, Friday, March 1, 2019.

Sarah DeVries watches as a butterfly is moved to her shirt during the Butterflies in Bloom event at Dow Gardens, Friday, March 1, 2019.

A butterfly rests on a leaf during the Butterflies in Bloom event at Dow Gardens, Friday, March 1, 2019.

People view butterflies in the plants during the Butterflies in Bloom event at Dow Gardens, Friday, March 1, 2019.

Sarah DeVries, 2, crouches down to view butterflies during the Butterflies in Bloom event at Dow Gardens, Friday, March 1, 2019.

A butterfly rests on a leaf during the Butterflies in Bloom event at Dow Gardens, Friday, March 1, 2019.

Visitors walk through the exhibit during the Butterflies in Bloom event at Dow Gardens, Friday, March 1, 2019.

A butterfly rests on a leaf during the Butterflies in Bloom event at Dow Gardens, Friday, March 1, 2019.

Jenny DeVries, 5, poses as a butterfly rests on her shirt during the Butterflies in Bloom event at Dow Gardens, Friday, March 1, 2019.

Butterflies rest on leaves during the Butterflies in Bloom event at Dow Gardens, Friday, March 1, 2019.

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MIDLAND, MI – The reimagined Alden B. Dow-designed conservatory at Dow Gardens is nearly complete and is expected to reopen to the public in late summer.

The four-year-long construction project was aimed at creating a multi-use, energy-efficient facility to expand Dow Gardens’ core educational and programming mission, according to Dow Gardens officials.

“I hope that, in the end, we’re giving guest a new experience in a familiar space,” WTA’s Paul Haselhuhn, the project’s lead architect, said in a statement.

The 5,020-square-foot conservatory will house a number of new amenities, including a light-filled lobby, integrated water feature, floor-to-ceiling double-pane insulated windows, interpretive displays, accessible restrooms and a butterfly “pinning window” that will give visitors a behind-the-scenes glimpse of exhibit preparations, according to a Dow Gardens news release.

The popular Butterflies in Bloom exhibit will return in March of 2023.

Midland’s 110-acre Dow Gardens welcomes thousands of guests per year. Visitors are invited to explore the landscape, tour the historic Pines Home, participate in hands-on educational programs, stroll the nation’s longest canopy walk, and enjoy art and music.

Visit dowgardens.org to learn more.

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