Sunnyside Conservatory

I've been driving by the Sunnyside Conservatory a lot lately and I thought I should stop in for a visit. I've been here once before a few years ago, before the grounds and structure were renovated, when it wasn't very bloggable.

The Conservatory was built in the late 19th century by a couple of avid gardeners and plant collectors who first purchased this land before this part of San Francisco was much developed. Within 20 years, they'd moved on, the land was subdivided, and the gardens fell into disrepair. A subsequent property owner "discovered" the conservatory in 1919 while clearing away brush. As the structure was not mentioned on the deed, it had essentially been forgotten. The property passed through various hands before the City declared it a landmark in the 1970s, responding to neighborhood pressure. Only last year was it fully renovated and made beautiful.





















I believe the taller trees are the only plants dating from the original garden.



That's a Chilean wine palm (Jubaea chilensis).



And there's a large Araucaria heterophylla, a genus popular among California's Victorians.



Old trees have interesting trunks.



And the leaf litter is kinda different too.



A few of the tree ferns seem old too,



judging by the trunks.



What do you think about the Conservatory's door handles?



Inside today:



Inside, a long time ago:



A glimpse of the original garden:



Another remnant of former property lines. Steps to nowhere. I like.



These sculptures in a few places are weird and groovy. I wonder if they have some Victorian connection I'm not aware of.