Historic Greenhouses in Elizabeth Park Dedicated as the Sweetland-Patricelli Greenhouse Complex
The Elizabeth Park Conservancy announces a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Friday evening, May 19, 2023, to dedicate and name the newly renovated historic greenhouses in Elizabeth Park the Sweetland-Patricelli Greenhouse Complex. The ceremony honors The Robert & Margaret Patricelli Family Foundation, Inc.’s $600,000 grant that provided critical support for the Elizabeth Park Conservancy’s renovation efforts.

Making up the Sweetland-Patricelli Greenhouse complex are three historic Lord & Burnham greenhouses, which had fallen into disrepair and needed complete renovation. Two of the individual houses are dedicated to the memory of the couple’s mothers, Carolyn Rood Sweetland and Lydia Erdman Patricelli. The third will be dedicated in the name of Margaret Sweetland Patricelli:

"Both our Moms were self-effacing and giving women who loved Nature and gardening, and spending time at the Park. They both also enjoyed sharing Nature's beauty with children and increasing their interest and curiosity. Part of their 'teaching' was how to appreciate and care for plants of all kinds, skills that kids could apply to people too. You could describe our Moms as 'early environmentalists'," said Margaret Patricelli.

The greenhouses date back to the earliest days of Elizabeth Park, with the oldest one built in 1898. Since the beginning of Elizabeth Park, these structures have been working greenhouses that include growing seedlings, providing plants for Elizabeth Park’s gardens and other venues in the City of Hartford, and serving as a presentation space for botanical exhibits like the March spring bulb show.

At the dedication, the Conservancy also thanked the State of Connecticut and the City of Hartford for contributing to this expensive project. In addition to the Patricelli grant, the greenhouse project also benefits from a grant from the Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD) awarded to the City of Hartford for the Conservancy’s renovation of the
greenhouses.

The Conservancy recognized and thanked the contractors who made the renovation happen—the general contractor, Alca Construction, Inc., and the specialty contractor, Prospiant.

Opening remarks at the dedication were made by the Conservancy’s President & CEO Christine M. Doty and by the Conservancy’s Development Committee Chair Joanne Eudy, both expressing sincere thanks to the Patricellis for the generous grant they made in December 2021. Opening remarks were followed by remarks from Margaret and Bob Patricelli, who cut the ribbon opening the beautiful newly refurbished houses to the assembled guests.

Elizabeth Park is one of the top ten tourist destinations in the State of Connecticut. The Park’s visitors—from all over the globe—appreciate the beauty of the Park’s renowned gardens including roses, perennials, and annuals.

The Elizabeth Park Conservancy is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, founded in 1977, that partners with the City of Hartford in the maintenance and improvement of Elizabeth Park. The Conservancy has a more than 40-year track record managing improvements in Elizabeth Park, which is owned by the City of Hartford is home to the nation’s oldest municipal rose garden, now known as the Helen S Kaman Rose Garden, after the Conservancy’s first president.

Elizabeth Park opened to the public in the spring of 1897 on property donated to the City of Hartford by Charles Pond, in honor of his wife Elizabeth. The Conservancy celebrated the 125th anniversary of Elizabeth Park in the summer of 2022. The Park is on the national register of historic places and offers more than 100 acres of formal gardens, green space, recreational facilities, walking loops, and the Pond House Café. Elizabeth Park is open to the public year-round, from dawn to dusk.