More than $114 million provided altogether, mostly through philanthropy, for three-phase initiative
On March 25, Selby Gardens announced that it has received 82% of the necessary funding it needs to begin Phase Two of its Downtown Sarasota Master Plan.
“The capital goal for Phase Two stands at $60.9 million,” a news release pointed out, with $50 million having been raised.
The total amount that the Gardens has received for its three-phase initiative is more than $114 million, the release said, including more than $8.2 million for an endowment, “with 99% percent of all funds coming from private philanthropy.”
The groundbreaking for Phase Two is expected to take place before the end of this year, with a completion date anticipated by the end of 2027, the release added.
“Building on the success of Phase One,” the release continued, “this next phase will further enhance Selby Gardens’ Downtown Sarasota campus, securing its resilience and expanding its beauty, research facilities, and educational offerings for the community and visitors from around the world.”
Phase Two will consist of “a new Conservatory Complex, a Learning Pavilion, and key landscape features,” the release continued. “The new Conservatory Complex will be the crown jewel of the Downtown Sarasota campus — a stunning crystal palace filled with more than 20,000 plants from Selby Gardens’ living research collections (including the best scientifically documented collections of orchids and bromeliads in the world),” the release pointed out.
“Building on the innovative sustainability leadership established in Phase One, Marie Selby Botanical Gardens is committed to advancing this legacy with 100% renewable energy, sustainable water harvesting, and resilient design to inspire future generations and protect its collections,” the release explained. “These initiatives ensure a resilient infrastructure that supports the Gardens’ environmental stewardship, designed not only to serve generations of visitors but also to safeguard the organization’s invaluable botanical collections. This commitment positions Selby Gardens as a model for cultural and botanical institutions,” the release added.
“Today, the public can see less than 5% of Selby Gardens’ living research collections; the new Conservatory Complex will make nearly 100% of Selby Gardens’ world-renowned collected plants visible to the public. In addition, a new Learning Pavillion will feature enhanced facilities for all of Selby Gardens’ education programs,” the release said.
Another Phase Two feature will be a “new indoor/outdoor state-of-the art Learning Pavilion to offer enhanced learning opportunities and accommodate expanded school programs and lifelong learning …” Additionally, the release noted, among expanded Phase Two Gardens features will be a Taras Stone Garden, a Live Oak Grove, “and improved walkways and pathways within Selby Gardens’ existing footprint in the heart of Downtown Sarasota.”
“New major commitments” of $5 million and $3 million — plus several at the $1-million mark — recently have been secured, the release said. The co-chairs of the Phase Two Campaign effort are Dr. Gail Morganroth and Selby Gardens’ trustee Audrey Robbins, the release noted.
Phase One of the master plan for Selby Gardens opened to the public on Jan. 11. It comprised 188,033 square feet of new amenities, the Gardens has reported.
Phase One featured the following components, the Gardens said at the time:
- The Morganroth Family Living Energy Access Facility (LEAF), which houses parking, a garden-to-plate restaurant, a new giftshop, vertical gardens, and “a nearly 50,000 square-foot solar array” that has made Selby Gardensthe first net-positive energy botanical garden complex in the world.
- “The state-of-the-artSteinwachs Family Plant Research Center,which secures irreplaceable scientific resources in a hurricane-resilient structure and provides a window into once behind-the-scenes world-class research,” a November 2023 news release added. “The facility contains the Elaine Nicpon Marieb Herbarium and Laboratory (housing preserved collections of more than 125,000 dried and pressed plant specimens and molecular scientific work), as well as a research library (with priceless volumes dating to the 1700s), spirit laboratory (with more than 35,000 specimens preserved in fluid — the second largest collection of its kind in the world), conference rooms, administrative offices,” and a rooftop garden and solar array.
- The open-airJean Goldstein Welcome Center,consisting of a ticketing pavilion, a welcome gallery, and welcome theater “to properly accommodate and orient guests; a major stormwater management system to divert and clean millions of gallons of water each year before it is returned to Sarasota Bay; a publicly accessible multiuse recreational trail enabling multimodal transportation to the campus and the bayfront; off-site roadway improvements, which will also make access easier and safer; and a number of new garden and water features with more open space, including a Lily Pond Garden, Glades Garden, and the restoration of historic Palm Avenue as a pedestrian-only promenade,” that release continued.
Selby Gardens attracts more than 300,000 visitors a year, the release pointed out. The Downtown Sarasota campus “is one of the most biodiverse botanical gardens in the world,” the release added.
The Phase Two project team has been guided by the international landscape architecture studio OLIN with architecture by Sweet Sparkman Architecture & Interiors, Selby Gardens has reported. Willis Smith Construction serves as the construction manager.