$1.3M botanical garden dome reopens in Springfield's Washington Park

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) – With a snip of the ribbon, the Washington Park Botanical Garden's redone Conservatory Dome is officially open.

A $1.3 million project renovated the Conservatory Dome. The original dome was built in 1971 and was demolished to make way for the new dome, which was built on the same footprint as the old dome.

"We had to hire engineers to come in and advise us on how to replace the pieces of glass so that it would survive another 50 years and be available to the public to enjoy,” Park Board President Leslie Sgro told WAND News. “We have 3,200 different species of plants just inside of this dome.”

Funding for the new dome came from a $370,000 state grant, $380,000 from the William Ed Quarry Trust, with additional money coming from park district funds.