Greenhouse down, but not quite out

Kettering Greenhouse relocated

Don't worry, the Kettering Greenhouse won't be "gone with the wind." But it will move to the roof of Kettering.

"The dismantlement of the old greenhouse will occur somewhere between late summer and early October," said David Benzing, professor of biology.

The forced move is a result of the new Science Center plans. (see related story page 2)

Parts of Kettering Hall and Barrows will be torn down in order to provide space for the new science building. The new greenhouse will be built on top of Kettering.

The new building will house the chemistry department, part of the biology department, an expansion of the neuroscience wing, a new science library and a study lounge.

Although not many people know about it, the greenhouse contains some interesting and even rare specimens. There are, for example, some cycads-historically valuable trees more than a century old from a collection at the University of Chicago. There are also some tropical plants, brought from Central America and other parts of the world, as well as some rare and endangered species.

Thus the collection is quite valuable and useful for demonstrations and experiments by the faculty and students in the Biology Department.

"The plants that have historical value will go on to the new greenhouse," said Benzing. "However, there are also plants which are rooted in the ground and about two-thirds of them are going to be abandoned."

The collection includes some duplicates and most of those will be abandoned as well because, in the process of moving, the collection will be housed temporarily in a smaller area.

The larger project will take about three to four years to complete, although its exact phasing has not been finalized.