Marjorie McNeely Conservatory

Located within Como Regional Park is the Como Park Zoo and Conservatory, the latter of which is named the Marjorie McNeely Conservatory. It was built in 1915 and the design is typical of conservatories built in the early 20th century. It features several gardens and rooms including a fern room, palm room, water garden, Japanese garden, and an impressive Bonsai tree collection. Visitors will see a wide array of tropical plants and flowers. When it was built, the conservatory replaced nine run-down greenhouses. In 2015 it was named after Marjorie McNeeley, a philanthropist who donated money to the conservatory as well as other cultural organizations. The park itself features many attractions and activities such as the zoo, fishing, picnicking, paddleboat rentals, an amusement park, a restaurant, and golf and mini golf.

In 1873 over 300 acres of land were purchased for a public park around Lake Como, to create Como Park. One of the objectives of the park was to enhance the surrounding area with exotic plants as well as artistic floral displays that could be seen around the park. Between 1891 and 1913 nine separate greenhouses had been built, but some have become badly damaged over time and in need of repair. Instead of repairing them Frederick Nussbaumer, superintendent of St. Paul Parks proposed a plan for one large conservatory to replace all the greenhouses. The plan was approved and Nussbaumber began designing the conservatory as a Victorian glass house, inspired by the Kew Gardens near London.

Construction was completed in 1915 and opened in November of that year to 3,000 guests. The Dome Of the Conservatory reached a height of 72 feet and had wings extending north and south. The Como Conservatory began to host St. Paul’s annual fall chrysanthemum exhibition in 1918 and Annual Spring and holiday flower shows in 1925. The Conservatory operated as normal until 1962 when a massive hailstorm hit and destroyed half of the glass and damaged many plants. Emergency repairs had to be conducted which cost over $75,000, but allowed upgrades from glass to fiberglass. 

In 1974, the building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places, but it needed many repairs. To fund these repairs community groups came together to host funding events, provided tours, and started educational courses in gardening at the conservatory. Repairs and improvements continued throughout the rest of the century, including the “Como Conservatory Master Plan” which massively improved all aspects of the conservatory like climate control, ventilation, water, electricity, and glass. The improvements led to the conservatory receiving the HortLandmark Award from the American Society for Horticultural Science. 

In 2002, the Como Conservatory changed its name to the Marjorie McNeely Conservatory after a $7,000,000 donation from the Donald McNeely family. This money provided enough funds to open a new wing of the conservatory as well as a visitor center. Since then further additions have been made including an orchid house, fern garden, edible garden, and bonsai gallery. 

"History." Como Park Zoo and Conservatory. Accessed April 3, 2017. http://www.comozooconservatory.org/about/history/#/marjorie-mcneely-conservatory.

Nelson, Charles. "Como Park Conservatory." National Park Service - National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form. November 19, 1974. https://npgallery.nps.gov/GetAsset/7c0d54e8-e5e3-4687-bc8c-6b2f03ed31d1.

Shirey, Sarah . Marjorie McNeely Conservatory (Como Park Conservatory), MNopedia. Accessed March 19th, 2025. https://www.mnopedia.org/structure/marjorie-mcneely-conservatory-como-park-conservatory.