Hidden · Milwaukee, United States
Mitchell Park Domes
Three glass domes on Milwaukee’s south side, each holding its own climate: seasonal flower shows, a tropical forest and a desert.
Three domes, three climates, one park.
Mitchell Park Horticultural Conservatory, known as the Mitchell Park Domes or simply the Domes, sits in Mitchell Park in the Clarke Square neighborhood on Milwaukee’s south side. It replaced the original Milwaukee Conservatory, which stood from 1898 to 1955. Construction began in 1959, the conservatory opened in 1964, and the Milwaukee County Park System owns and runs it.
Each dome keeps a different climate. The Floral Show Dome opened in December 1964 and hosts four seasonal shows plus a holiday exhibit each December, with themes drawn from culture, literature or history. The winter show has featured a large indoor garden railway. The Tropical Dome opened in 1966 and the Desert Dome in 1967.
A tropical forest and a desert under glass.
The Tropical Dome holds nearly 1,000 species of plants, among them banana, papaya, ackee, guava, avocado and cacao. One cacao tree is more than 60 years old and was moved from the old conservatory, and it still sets fruit each year. A large kapok tree dominates the center, kept at about 60 feet though it once reached 95. Colorful birds live in the dome too.
The Desert Dome shows plants from the Americas and Africa, including many from the Sonoran Desert, aloes and euphorbias from Africa, and the Welwitschia, which has only two continuously growing leaves and may live for over a thousand years. Another section is devoted to the succulent plants of Madagascar.
The domes have had a hard time in recent years. Cracked glass panels led to a major restoration: the conservatory closed in June 2008 and reopened that October. In 2016 structural concerns closed the domes again before repairs allowed them to reopen the same year, and a 2019 study recommended demolition, a recommendation that drew objections. Plans for renovation were approved in November 2024.
The domes inside and out.
Practical notes.
Before you go.
When did the Mitchell Park Domes open?
The conservatory opened in 1964 after five years of construction. The Floral Show Dome came first in 1964, followed by the Tropical Dome in 1966 and the Desert Dome in 1967.
What is in each dome?
The Floral Show Dome hosts seasonal flower exhibits, the Tropical Dome holds nearly 1,000 plant species and some birds, and the Desert Dome has plants from the Americas, Africa and Madagascar.
Are the domes in danger?
They have had trouble with cracked glass, falling concrete debris and structural concerns, and a 2019 study recommended demolition, which was challenged. Renovation plans were approved in November 2024.
What was here before the domes?
The original Milwaukee Conservatory, which stood from 1898 to 1955 and was demolished to make way for the current one.
Around Milwaukee
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