Selby Gardens secures more than 66% of funds needed for Phase Two of Downtown Sarasota campus master plan

Groundbreaking expected by end of 2025

This is a rendering of the planned Conservatory Complex. Photo courtesy Marie Selby Botanical Gardens

“In the wake of Hurricanes Helene and Milton,” Marie Selby Botanical Gardens announced last week that it was “forging ahead with its vital plans for resiliency.”

The capital goal for Phase Two of the Gardens’ three-phase master plan for the Downtown Sarasota Campus is $60.9 million, a news release noted; $40.3 million — or more than 66% of that — has been raised.

Altogether, the release pointed out, the Gardens has received $103 million for the master plan initiatives, with 99%% of the funds having come from private philanthropy. Nearly $8 million will be used as an endowment, the release said.

In a Facebook post, the Gardens reported that the groundbreaking for Phase Two is expected take place at the end of 2025, with completion by the end of 2027,

“A visionary Selby Gardens Trustee who wishes to remain anonymous stepped forward to make a transformational commitment of $15 million to advance Phase Two,” the news release continued.

Additionally, the release said, Gardens board Chair Dr. Joel Morganroth and his wife and campaign co-chair, Dr. Gail Morrison Morganroth, “have made a new commitment of $5 million to Phase Two, bringing their total commitment to the Master Plan to $10.5 million.”

Along with the Morganroths, the current leadership donors for Phase Two — who have given a minimum of $500,000 — are as follows, the release adds: Dr. Andrew Economos; The Gardener Foundation; the Gutenstein Legacy Foundation; Marcy and Michael Klein; Katherine and Frank Martucci; Cornelia and Richard Matson; Keith Monda and Veronica Brady; Audrey Robbins; Jean M. Russell; Richard and Ellen Sandor; the Steinwachs Family Foundation; The Stone Foundation; Hobart and Janis Swan; Martin and Zelia Trueb; and Judy Zuckerberg and family “in memory of our beloved George.”

“We are absolutely thrilled to witness the incredible generosity of our community, which will inspire a wave of innovation and possibility for Selby Gardens,” Gail Morganroth said in the release.

This is a rendering of the Conservatory Forecourt Sun Garden. Photo courtesy Marie Selby Botanical Gardens

Audrey Robbins added, “Together, we are forging a brighter future for Selby Gardens and Sarasota, and we can’t wait to see the remarkable changes that will unfold as a result.”

“Phase Two consists of a new Conservatory Complex, a Learning Pavilion, and key landscape features,” the release pointed out. The “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 added.

“Building on the innovative sustainability leadership established in Phase One,” the release continued, “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. 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,” the release added.

“Today, the public can see less than 5% of Selby Gardens’ research collections,” the release pointed out; 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’ educational programs, the release said.

A third element of Phase Two will be the expansion of Gardens features,including a Taras Stone Garden, a Live Oak Grove, “and improved walkways and pathways within Selby Gardens’ existing footprint in the heart of Downtown Sarasota.”

This is a rendering of the Stone Garden. Photo courtesy Marie Selby Botanical Gardens

“We have tremendous gratitude for everyone who believes in the mission and dynamic future of Selby Gardens, and we are excited to embark on this next phase of our Master Plan,” Selby Gardens President and CEO Jennifer O. Rominiecki said in the release. “Our botanical gardens’ living research collection is a vital resource for conservation, education, and innovation. Protecting it from the increasing threats of hurricanes is not just a necessity; it’s our responsibility. By investing in resilience measures, we ensure that this invaluable collection can continue to thrive and contribute to important research even in the face of extreme weather.”

The Phase One features

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 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.

Another “key component” of Phase One has been the new restaurant The Green Orchid, “which was designed to operate solely through solar power,” the release pointed out. It is operated by Michaels on East.

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